THE FRUIT OF JUSTICE Annual Report 2016-17 The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development
“Peace for all is the fruit of justice for all.” Pope Benedict XVI, World Day of Peace Message 2012, (#5)
CARITAS AUSTRALIA IS THE INTERNATIONAL AID AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA, AND IS A MEMBER OF CARITAS INTERNATIONALIS, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST HUMANITARIAN NETWORKS WITH 165 MEMBER AGENCIES OPERATING IN OVER 200 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES. This year, Caritas Australia supported 93 long-term programs through 108 partnerships in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific, and with Australia’s First Peoples. Every year our organisation also responds to humanitarian emergencies across all regions. In 2016-17, we supported 32 emergency programs in 24 countries. Thanks to all our supporters, we reached 2 million people directly through our emergency and development programs. EVERY PERSON Caritas Australia is committed to serving people who are vulnerable to extreme poverty and marginalisation. We work with people regardless of religious, political or cultural beliefs. Our development approach is to support whole communities to lead their own development, rather than sponsor individuals. Small business skills and finance training, livelihood workshops and agriculture skills – these can all help to improve life for everyone. VISION A just and fair world, A world in balance, At peace and free of poverty; A world, which the Church in Australia helps build. Where all human beings can live in dignity and communities are architects of their own development.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this publication may contain images or names of people who have since passed away. Caritas Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians, past and present, of the land on which all our offices are located.
INSPIRATION The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4:17-19 MISSION Children, women and men most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice are rich in the eyes of Jesus, whose life and compassion inspires Caritas Australia. Through effective partnerships in humanitarian relief and development and by transforming hearts and minds in the Australian community, Caritas Australia helps to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. ANNUAL REPORT This peace-themed Annual Report comes at a time when the world is experiencing a range of unprecedented humanitarian crises and natural disasters. Our neighbours in the Pacific and other regions are feeling the effects of climate change, while our brothers and sisters in Syria are suffering from the turmoil of long-term war. Every day we are working with our partners around the world to help communities live safe and fruitful lives. We thank you for journeying with us as we work towards a more humane world.
Editor: Melinda McHugh Design: Three Blocks Left Print: Lighthouse Print Group Printed on: Sovereign Offset Sovereign Offset contains fibre sourced from responsible forestry practices, and manufactured carbon neutral.
All photos Caritas Australia unless otherwise stated. All currency references are shown in Australian dollars unless otherwise stated.
Published November 2017 by Caritas Australia 24-32 O’Riordan Street Alexandria NSW 2015
ISSN 2201-3075 (Print) ISSN 2201-3083 (Online) © Copyright Caritas Australia 2017
ABN 90 970 605 069
This image: For Caritas Australia program participants in Bougainville, community marketplaces provide an opportunity to sell their produce. Photo: Cassandra Hill/Caritas Australia
Cover: For Martina, a mother of eight in Timor-Leste, escaping domestic violence was the first step in her journey to a new life. Read her story from Project Compassion 2017 at www.caritas.org.au/ projectcompassion. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
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CONTENTS Principles 2 Peace: the Fruit of Justice
3
From the Chairman
4
From the CEO
5
Year at a Glance
6
Around the World Where we Work
8
Australia 10 Bougainville, Papua New Guinea 16
Integral Human Development
12
Strategic Directions
13
Financial Snapshot
14
Democratic Republic of the Congo 32
Caritas Community
22
Philippines
36
Haiti
42
Timor-Leste 20
Governance 38 Mission 44
Our Full Financial Report 2016-17 is available to read at www.caritas.org.au/annualreport Accountability and International Standards Did you know that Caritas Australia is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and as such is a signatory to the Code of Conduct. As an ACFID member we are committed to meeting the requirements of high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management. For more information on the Code, visit the ACFID website www.acfid.asn.au or email code@acfid.asn.au Caritas Australia is accredited by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), responsible for managing Australia’s aid program. To maintain accreditation, Caritas Australia’s systems, policies and processes are rigorously reviewed by the Australian Government. In 2016-17, Caritas Australia received support through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), the Australian
Humanitarian Partnership (AHP), the Church Partnership Program (CPP) and the Bougainville Youth Initiative (BYI) in Papua New Guinea. We uphold the highest standards of practice, as demonstrated by our commitment to the: • • • • • • • •
ACFID Code of Conduct Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Caritas Internationalis Management Standards Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief The Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS) Fundraising Institute of Australia Principles and Standards of Fundraising Practice Good Humanitarian Donorship Principles Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards
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PRINCIPLES OUR WORK IS SHAPED BY THE TRADITION OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING, WHICH PLACES HUMAN DIGNITY AND WELLBEING FOR ALL PEOPLES AT ITS HEART. WE IMPLEMENT PRINCIPLES SUCH AS: P R OMOTION O F PEACE
All peace requires respect for and the development of human life, which in turn involves the safeguarding of the goods, dignity and freedom of people. Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings. DIGNIT Y OF THE HUM A N PE RSON Every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore has inherent dignity. No human being should have their dignity or freedom compromised. The dignity of every person, independent of ethnicity, creed, gender, sexuality, age or ability, is the foundation of Catholic Social Teaching. THE COMMON GOOD Every person should have sufficient access to the goods and resources of society so they can completely and easily live fulfilling lives. The rights of the individual to personal possessions and community resources must be balanced with the needs of the disadvantaged and dispossessed. The common good is reached when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world.
PRE FE RE NTIA L OPTION FOR THE POOR Caring for the poor is everyone’s responsibility. Preferential care should be shown to poor and vulnerable people, whose needs and rights are given special attention in God’s eyes. Jesus taught that God asks each of us what we are doing to help the poor and needy: “Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of those who are members of my family, you did it to me”. (Matthew 25:40). ECONOMIC JUS TICE Economic life is not meant solely for profit, but rather in service of the entire human community. Everyone capable should be involved in economic activity and should be able to draw from work, the means for providing for themselves and their family. CA RE OF OUR COMMON HOME We must all respect, care for and share the resources of the earth, which are vital for the common good of people. Care for animals and the environment is a common and universal duty, and ecological problems call for a change of mentality and the adoption of new lifestyles.
SUBSIDIA RIT Y A ND PA RTICIPATION All people have the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Subsidiarity requires that decisions are made by the people closest and most affected by the issues and concerns of the community. SOLIDA RIT Y Everyone belongs to one human family, regardless of their national, religious, ethnic, economic, political and ideological differences. Everyone has an obligation to promote the rights and development of all peoples across communities, nations, and the world, irrespective of national boundaries. We are called by the principle of solidarity to take the parable of the Good Samaritan to heart to love your neighbour (Luke 10:29-37), and to express this understanding in how we live and interact with others.
A young Syrian refugee in Jordan. In March 2017, we marked six years since the start of the civil war in Syria. The international Caritas network will continue assisting with emergency relief and humanitarian assistance. Photo: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
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Read more about Catholic Social Teaching at www.caritas.org.au/cst
"Peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings." INTEGR AL HUMAN DE VELOPMENT Integral Human Development (IHD), grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, provides principles and a conceptual framework for our international programs. Our development approach is transformative and works to ensure a holistic approach by addressing all aspects of poverty and injustice across Caritas Australia’s relief, rehabilitation and development work. See page 12 for more about IHD.
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THE FRUIT OF JUSTICE TO LIVE WHOLE AND FRUITFUL LIVES, COMMUNITIES REQUIRE THE FULLNESS OF PEACE, LOVE AND COMPASSION. OUR PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO PROMOTE JUST AND PEACEFUL RELATIONSHIPS WHICH ARE NECESSARY TO DEVELOP THE WHOLE PERSON IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE. Where there is suffering, peace is diminished. Very often when we think of ‘peace’ we think of ‘war’. But peace is more than just combating war and violence. Peace is knowing there is year-round food available, fresh water to drink, income for the family and community, good education for our children, trained health workers, and a safe, healthy environment to grow up in. Peace is also about inner peace; it is living without fear or worry, and is essential to living full lives. Peace is the backbone to every society, to Caritas Australia and our international work, and to the Church. It is also one of our fundamental Catholic Social Teaching principles. To live within a spirit of peace is a universal human desire, and Caritas Australia is working every day with our partners around the world to reduce malnutrition and disease, and increase access to education and employment.
“The Church does not tire of repeating that peace is a duty.”
STO R I ES O F P EA CE
Our six participant stories for this Annual Report came directly from people the Caritas network has supported, and is still assisting. • Peace and Healing in Australia • Youthful Peace in Bougainville • Peace for Families in Timor-Leste • Peace for Survivors of Violence in Democratic Republic of the Congo • Peace and Dignity in the Philippines • Economic Peace in Haiti P EA C E O N EA RT H
In 1963, Pope John XXIII’s encyclical letter, Peace on Earth, identified four essential conditions for peace: truth, justice, love and freedom. Forty years later, Pope John Paul II said, “The Church does not tire of repeating that peace is a duty.” It is essential to ensure we live together safely in a spirit of peace. It is not just about coexisting, it is about the holistic development of the human person and covers all aspects of life: social, economic, political, cultural, personal and spiritual.
– Pope John Paul II
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FROM THE CHAIRMAN THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT OF CARITAS AUSTRALIA. EVERY YEAR, AS CHAIRMAN, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING MANY DEDICATED AND CONSIDERATE PEOPLE. WHETHER SUPPORTERS, VOLUNTEERS, DIOCESAN DIRECTORS, STAFF MEMBERS OR MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITIES WE WORK WITH, I FEEL EXTREMELY HONOURED TO CARRY OUT MY ROLE. Pope Francis has reminded us that access to the means of survival is the right of all people. “A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being,” he said in an address on 20 June, 2013. The theme of this year’s Annual Report is ‘Peace: the Fruit of Justice’, a poignant idea in our conflict-ridden world, where so many long for justice.
BISHOP GREG O’KELLY SJ AM Chairman
“Without the merciful works of Caritas there is no Church, and without Diocesan Directors there is no Caritas.”
The pursuit of a climate of peace where every person can flourish and co-exist in harmony is central to Catholic Social Teaching, and the principle which underpins this – Justice – is exemplified by Caritas’ aid and development work. Every day I witness this principle in action through the Caritas family. Caritas staff carry out their work with great skill. So please let me thank you sincerely for the positivity, professionalism, talent and compassion that you share every day with the Caritas network. I must also thank the Diocesan Directors around Australia. Without the merciful works of Caritas there is no Church, and without Diocesan Directors there is no Caritas. Your presence, participation and contribution every year is greatly appreciated. Thank you for continuing to assist and reach out to those who live on the margins of society. This is the fourth consecutive year where our government has cut millions of dollars from Australia’s official aid program. It is a shame that our leaders feel that $303.3 million can be of better use elsewhere. What is more important than looking after our neighbours, particularly those who do not have the basic necessities they require to live fully and with peace? This year, Jesus’ instruction to “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) was the inspiration for Project Compassion 2017. This call of Jesus shakes us out of preoccupation with ourselves, and Christ asks us to acknowledge that we are all members of the one human family. Around the world, there are many ongoing conflicts, but as our Lord reminds us in the Gospel of John, “The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and He said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you'." John 20:20-21. With peace and blessings,
Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ AM Chairman
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FROM THE CEO IN OUR WORLD TODAY, NATURAL DISASTERS AND HUMAN CONFLICTS HAVE DISRUPTED COMMUNITIES, UPROOTED PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMELANDS AND INCITED A SPIRIT OF FEAR AND DIVISION. WE HAVEN’T SEEN THIS SCALE OF NEED SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR; CURRENTLY MORE THAN 130 MILLION PEOPLE REQUIRE HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE SIMPLY TO SURVIVE. As Caritas Australia's Chief Executive Officer, I have witnessed the way that our development work is always about individual human dignity. I am constantly humbled by the kindness and compassion displayed by those we work with, even in the most challenging situations. In April this year, I visited Kenya to take stock of Caritas Australia’s response to a drought of unprecedented severity in the Horn of Africa. While there, I was moved by the incredible resilience of communities who were rallying together to survive on their very last food reserves. Caritas Australia, through the Caritas Internationalis network, is working to support over 545,000 people across Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, by providing essentials such as clean water and food items. One of the major challenges of our era is the sympathetic treatment of refugees uprooted from their homes due to conflict and climate change. Pope Francis recently said, “Hearts must not be closed to refugees, but those who govern need prudence.” As an active member of the Catholic Alliance for Asylum Seekers, Caritas Australia contributes to the considerations of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference on this matter. With so many countries affected by ongoing conflicts and war, refugee support services are now needed more than ever. Through our global network, Caritas is often the first to respond to emergencies. This year, the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that the Church Agencies Network Disaster Operations (CAN DO), a consortium of eight church agencies, led by Caritas Australia, was one of the six successful partners in tendering for the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) – a mechanism for responding rapidly to global crises. As a result, our consortium will work with DFAT to deliver elements of humanitarian response, multiyear funding for protracted crises, and their $50 million five-year commitment to humanitarian response and capacity strengthening in the Pacific.
PAUL O’CALLAGHAN Chief Executive Officer
"I am constantly humbled by the kindness and compassion displayed by those we work with, even in the most challenging situations."
It is thanks to the support of staff, volunteers, Diocesan Directors and the Australian community that our agency is enabled to continue supporting those in need. Thank you for being part of the Caritas family and offering your support through prayer, fundraising and events. Your donations to our various appeals, and support of Project Compassion, which this year raised $11 million, enables our ongoing peace and development work. In solidarity,
Paul O’Callaghan Chief Executive Officer
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YEAR AT A GLANCE EVERY DAY, THE INTERNATIONAL CARITAS FAMILY WORKS TOWARDS PEACEFUL AND POSITIVE LASTING CHANGE. THIS IS JUST A SMALL SNAPSHOT OF 2016-17 AS WE WORK TO END POVERTY, PROMOTE JUSTICE AND UPHOLD DIGNITY.
J u ly
Oct ober
PROJECT COMPASSION 2016: This month, Paul O’Callaghan, Caritas Australia CEO, said he felt overwhelmed by the generous response from an army of supporters in every Australian state and territory, with $11 million raised for Project Compassion 2016.
CLIMATE CHANGE: The Caritas Australia, Caritas Aotearoa and Caritas Tonga joint-report Hungry for Justice, Thirsty for Change - State of the Environment for Oceania was released.
“For over 50 years, Project Compassion has enabled Caritas to transform the lives of millions of people. I have seen the impact of this work first hand in communities such as Timor-Leste, the Philippines and Nepal, and I am humbled by this enormous response from our supporters.”
August GLOBAL JUSTICE: In our continuing quest to engage young adults, our agency hosted a three-day Global Justice Workshop for 22 people in our Sydney office. “This was an unprecedented opportunity for likeminded youth to build their networks. They also gained a behind-the-scenes look into Caritas Australia, and the work of aid and development,” said Greta Spies, workshop organiser. WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY: To mark World Humanitarian Day, the Foreign Minister, the Hon. Julie Bishop, outlined Australia’s humanitarian commitments to students and representatives of the Australian humanitarian community. A number of students from Our Holy Redeemer School in Victoria, which is one of 1,700 Catholic schools supporting the work of Caritas, represented Caritas at the event.
S e p tem b e r ZIMBABWE FOOD CRISIS: Over 4.5 million people in Zimbabwe, or one-third of the population don't have enough to eat. Our emergency relief program aims to ensure food security through seed banks and school meals. Sister Ivy Khoury, Caritas Australia Africa Program Coordinator, said that the school meals program provides hundreds of children with a nutritious daily meal.
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The report documents the experiences of Pacific Islanders who are struggling with the impacts of climate change. “In the Pacific, climate change is here. It is an urgent, life or death situation. It is a question of us losing our homes, our values and our lands,” said author Amelia Ma’afu.
Novem b er FIRST AUSTRALIANS: Our agency and First Australian partners developed a Joint Statement on Subsidiarity, calling on the Federal, State and Territory Governments and all religious institutions, service providers, not-for-profit organisations and businesses, which work with and seek the wellbeing of First Australians, to commit to this important Catholic Social Teaching principle. WORLD LEADERS: On 8 November, Caritas Australia urged the Australian Government to provide greater financial assistance to countries globally struggling to adapt to climate change. The call came as world leaders gathered in Marrakesh to discuss solutions to the ongoing climate crisis.
GIFTS BY THE SEA: A Brisbane charity shop, led by volunteer, Agnes Hough, closed after 52 years of trading. Since 1965, Gifts by the Sea, which was started by Eunice Burstow to support Project Compassion, raised more than $200,000 for Caritas Australia.
Feb ru ar y
DISASTERS ACROSS ASIA PACIFIC: Our agency continues to assist people affected by major natural disasters. On Christmas Day, over 600,000 people were affected when Tropical Cyclone Nina (Nock-Ten) made landfall in the Philippines. Caritas Australia supported 20,885 people with emergency relief.
FAMINE IN EAST AFRICA: The United Nations declared famine in parts of South Sudan. In March, the South Sudan Council of Churches released a powerful statement on the humanitarian crisis, condemning the civil war and labelling the famine man-made. In April, we launched the East Africa Food Crisis Appeal to help raise life-saving funds for those in desperate need. Thanks to the Australian community, this year our agency raised over $1.7 million for the affected countries. See page 30 for more.
Ja nua r y
March
Decem ber
ANNUAL CELEBRATION: On 26 January, Caritas Australia staff stood in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at the annual Yabun Festival which is held on the traditional lands of the Gadigal People in Sydney. Held annually on Australia Day, this festival seeks to commemorate the world’s oldest living cultures, showcase their art and music, and celebrate their ancient traditions.
PROJECT COMPASSION 2017: With the theme ‘Love your Neighbour’, our six stories across Lent demonstrated how love for our neighbours can transform lives. For more than 50 years, Caritas Australia has been privileged to work with vulnerable communities worldwide. Thanks to our supporters, we again raised $11 million to assist those in need. See page 29 for more.
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Caritas Australia’s Community Climate Petition was promoted at this year’s Youth Parliament of the World’s Religions, held at Sydney’s Santa Sabina College and organised by the Columban Mission Institute. Photo: Daniel Nour/Caritas Australia
Ap r i l COMMUNITY CLIMATE PETITION: Hundreds of climate change advocates hit the pavements for Caritas Australia’s Community Climate Petition – the largest multi-faith and multi-electorate climate petition in Australia’s history.
May AID CUTS: For the fourth year in a row, millions of dollars were cut from Australia’s official aid program. This year another $303.3 million was cut from the federal budget. Australia’s aid program has played a critical role in supporting millions of people to move out of poverty and live a life of dignity. FLOODS IN SRI LANKA: On 25 May, over 600,000 people were affected by severe flooding and landslides. Over 200 people died and thousands of homes were damaged. Our agency is working with Caritas Sri Lanka, Colombo and Galle and assisting 10,500 locals with basic necessities such as food, water and sanitary items.
J un e AUSTRALIAN HUMANITARIAN PARTNERSHIP (AHP): The Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that the Church Agencies Network Disaster
Operation (CAN DO), a consortium of eight church agencies led by Caritas Australia, was one of the six successful partners tendering for the AHP. The agencies Act for Peace, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency Australia, Anglican Board of Mission, Anglican Overseas Aid, the Australian Lutheran World Service, Transform Aid International (Baptist World Aid Australia) and Uniting World, along with Caritas Australia, are all signatories to the ACFID Code of Conduct. The AHP is a new strategic five-year (2017-2021) partnership between DFAT and Australian Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). With a specific focus on strengthening the ability of local communities and organisations in the Pacific to prepare for and respond to crises, the AHP will invest $50 million to build the capacity of local organisations to manage disasters more effectively. www.caritas.org.au/media
"When you have no food, you have nothing. We must act before our worst fears are realised."
At the height of the East Africa food crisis, 23 million people were facing starvation. In April, we launched the East Africa Food Crisis Appeal.
Over 2.1 million people were affected by Hurricane Matthew which hit Haiti on 4 October 2016. Caritas Australia supported shelter and emergency relief for the affected populations.
– Mary Wachira, Caritas Project Coordinator, East Africa ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 7
WHERE WE WORK THIS YEAR, CARITAS AUSTRALIA SUPPORTED 93 LONG-TERM PROGRAMS THROUGH 108 PARTNERSHIPS IN 27 COUNTRIES ACROSS AFRICA, ASIA, LATIN AMERICA, THE PACIFIC, AND WITH AUSTRALIA’S FIRST PEOPLES. EVERY YEAR OUR ORGANISATION ALSO RESPONDS TO HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES ACROSS ALL REGIONS. THROUGH YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT, CARITAS AUSTRALIA REACHED 2 MILLION PEOPLE DIRECTLY THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ACROSS 38 COUNTRIES.
Ukraine
In 2016-17, we supported long-term development programs and partnerships in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Fiji, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Lebanon Occupied Palestinian Territories
Caritas Australia also supported complex emergencies in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Dominican Republic, DRC, Eritrea, Fiji, Haiti, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Philippines, PNG, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Ukraine, Vanuatu and Vietnam. Haiti
Dominican Republic
Sudan
Eritrea
Ethiopia
South Sudan
AF RICA
Peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Jordan
• In East Africa, at the height of the food crisis this year, 23 million people were going hungry. In 2017, our emergency appeal raised $1.7 million to provide clean water, food and sanitation supplies to people in Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia and Malawi.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Uganda Kenya
Tanzania
Malawi
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
• In Zimbabwe, village collective poultry rearing groups have been established and resulted in significantly improved household income for rural participants; with an average increase from US$6 to US$35 per household per month.
L ATI N AMERICA • In Peru, 155 women received extensive training in political participation, public speaking, democracy and local government. 80% have since spoken up and questioned repressive norms.
Photographers (left to right): Catalina McAuley Women’s House Association (Peru); Patrick Nicholson/Caritas Internationalis (South Sudan); Catholic Relief Services (Syria); Lisa McMurray/ Caritas Australia (India); Nicole Clements/Caritas Australia (Australia); Cassandra Hill/Caritas Australia (Bougainville).
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• In São Paulo, Brazil, the Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents reports that 6,548 families across 12 favelas received legal registration of their land tenure titles. These families are now the recognised legal owners of their land and cannot be evicted.
H UMAN ITARIAN E ME RGE N CIE S • In Jordan and Lebanon, over 43,000 refugees and vulnerable host community members were supported with education, protection and basic humanitarian services. • In Afghanistan, we continued to provide education and livelihoods support for 5,000 people in rural communities through our program partner Catholic Relief Services.
Somalia
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Pro g rams an d E merg en cies E xp en d itu re 2016-17: $22,413,755 2015-16: $24,882,228 2014-15: $26,837,622 2013-14: $25,469,535 2012-13: $24,771,299 In 2016-17 we spent $17,425,871 on long-term development programs and $4,987,884 on humanitarian emergency assistance. A total of $22,413,755 was spent worldwide.
Afghanistan
Nepal Bangladesh India
Burma/ Myanmar Laos Philippines Cambodia
Vietnam
Sri Lanka
AS I A • In Vietnam, 10,488 people have been impacted through our work with people with disabilities. Community participation and education have improved, and fostered the development of livelihood skills, thereby increasing household incomes.
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Indonesia
Kiribati Solomon Islands
Timor-Leste
Vanuatu
Fiji
Samoa
Australia
• In Cambodia, through our Sustainable Change with Dignity program, almost 6,000 people have access to safe, clean water.
AUSTR ALIA • In Central Australia, The Western Desert Dialysis Wellbeing Program, a social enterprise, have significantly increased their income, achieving a 140% increase in annual sales since 2014-15, enabling more wellbeing activities for people on dialysis. • In New South Wales, the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation has now located over 80 survivors of Kinchela Boys Home and started the process of properly documenting their stories.
PACIF IC • In PNG, 149,464 people from 128 communities in 6 provinces affected by the El Niño drought received planting materials and drought-tolerant seedlings for replanting, to enhance their future food security. • In Fiji, the Peoples Community Network Community facilitators reached 3,200 households in informal settlements or approximately 30,000 of the most vulnerable people.
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AUSTRALIA
Len said that participating in the Red Dust Healing program, which was written from an Indigenous perspective, changed his life. Photo: Nicole Clements/Caritas Australia
AND HEALING Over half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in Australia, and despite their pre-eminence as our continent's first inhabitants, too many communities live with injustices and poverty as a direct consequence of Australia’s colonial history.
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Since 1972, Caritas Australia has worked alongside First Australian partners and communities. The projects strengthen cultural identity and spirituality by fostering culture-based enterprise, strong intergenerational relationships and healing.
R e d Dust Hea ling A unique cultural healing program, Red Dust Healing was first designed in 2007 by Tom Powell, a Warramunga man from the Wiradjuri Nation in the Central West of New South Wales. It addresses suicide prevention, Stolen Generations, grief and loss, family and domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse, among other issues, and is intended for males and females of all ages and cultures. Supported by Caritas Australia since 2011, the program encourages participants to recognise and confront problems, hurt and anger in their lives, stemming primarily from rejection and grief. It supports participants to heal from within by addressing family and personal relationships, lifelong patterns of violence, abuse and neglect, and intergenerational trauma. Aimed at the heart and not the head, Red Dust Healing operates on the principle that the answer to a problem and the means to healing lies within an individual or a community.
Len’s Story Len Gordon, 53, is from Yiyili in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. A father to 11 children, he first heard about Red Dust Healing in 2013 when he was working as a cultural carer for Unity of First People of Australia (UFPA). After losing both his parents and then the breakdown of his relationship to the mother of his first seven children, Len went into a deep depression. He said that participating in the program, a requirement of his role with UFPA, changed his life. “Ever since I lost my mum and dad, my life changed. I felt hurt and lost without having them there for moral support and understanding. So when I lost them, I started to stay away from family and started mixing with the wrong crowd. Then with the end of my first relationship, I went into a depression. "If I hadn’t done the Red Dust Healing I couldn’t have dealt with all that grief and loss. At least now I have the tools to help me move forward.” He went on to further explain that the program teaches participants that from an early age everyone needs family for support and help. "It was a powerful program. It lifted my spirits. I had low self-esteem and didn’t feel like getting up for work every day. I now feel that I’m in control again and can help my kids and family.” He also said that the program assists in his work as a cultural carer and he feels positive about helping the next generation. “I can see straight away that they need help, and having done Red Dust Healing I feel like I can help these persons, I can help my mob, I can have a yarn to them … it’s helped my family and community too. Our parents taught us that, you know, to be there for each other, be supportive, to never give up; to give someone a hand when they need it.”
In 2 0 1 6 -1 7 : • 40 participants were interviewed as part of an evaluation and 100% reported positive changes in their lives as a direct result of Red Dust Healing. • Since 2007, Red Dust Healing has facilitated workshops in over 370 communities to over 12,000 people in Australia and overseas.
T HE RE D DUST HE ALING PROGRA M:
• Enhances people’s sense of belonging and mental and spiritual wellbeing. • Reduces risk of suicide by empowering participants with culture-based healing tools. • Restores relationships within families and supports participants to become more active within their communities.
“Coming to Red Dust Healing gave me a better understanding of how we can help our mob.”
Read more about our work in Australia at www.caritas.org.au/australia
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 11
OUR APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT GROUNDED IN THE PRINCIPLES OF CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING, INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (IHD) PROMOTES THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON, EQUALITY AMONG ALL PEOPLES AND THE COMMON GOOD OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. WITHIN OUR IHD PROGRAM EFFECTIVNESS FRAMEWORK, CARITAS AUSTRALIA IDENTIFIES FOUR INTERCONNECTED OUTCOMES WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT.
I nt egr a l Hum an Develo p men t Ou tco mes
A LI FE WI T H D I G NI T Y
Where people are able to access basic services; are included in social, political and economic life. This empowers people with confidence to make changes in their own lives.
JUST AND PE ACE F U L RE L ATIONSH I P S
SU STA I N ED ECO N O MI C W EL L B EI N G A N D R ESI L I EN C E
By addressing power, equity and conflict issues, people can feel safe within their family and community, and actively engage in community activities.
Where people have access to resources necessary for life, for themselves and their family.
I N F LU EN C E AN D I N D EP EN D E N C E
By improving the ability to access information and resources, people should be able to influence attitudes and decisions that affect their lives.
The IHD approach highlights that human development cannot be separated into individual components (such as health, education, shelter), nor can it focus solely on economic growth. Instead, our programs are designed to promote the development of the whole person, in every dimension of life.
Read more about our Integral Human Development approach, including the full document Integral Human Development Program Effectiveness Framework, at www.caritas.org.au/ihd
12 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Our programs are designed to promote the development of the whole person, in every dimension of life.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS CARITAS AUSTRALIA’S STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS 2013-18 RECOGNISES INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (IHD) AS THE OVERARCHING DEVELOPMENT APPROACH. Between 2013 and 2018, Caritas Australia aims to: • Build relationships that empower people living in poverty to be the agents of their own change, tell their own stories and shape and influence Caritas. • Deliver programs that are effective, efficient and ultimately lead to the independence of the poor. • Create a more agile agency, capable of responding to the needs of the poor as they change and emerge.
Goa l s To achieve these ends, our organisation is pursuing the following five strategic goals: 1. Deepen Catholic Identity 2. Build Stronger Relationships 3. Strengthen Programs and Advocacy 4. Develop Organisational Agility 5. Fund Sustainable Growth
H ig h l i g h t s Now in the fourth year of our plan, our agency continued to strengthen our Catholic identity, build stronger external relationships and improve our organisational agility and competence. There were many highlights in 2016-17 as we work towards achieving these goals. G OA L 1: D EEPEN C ATHOLIC I DE NT I T Y
• Researched and developed a program for mission effectiveness to be ‘rolled out’ from 2018 and implemented across Caritas Australia’s operations and workplaces. • Increased awareness of importance of embedding Catholic Social Teaching principles and aspects of Scripture and our Catholic tradition in our written and digital materials. • Continued to develop resource materials to support the desire for prayer and reflection in our workplaces. G OA L 2: BUI LD S T RONGE R R E L AT I O NS HI PS
• Continued to build relationships with our Catholic community by engaging supporters and strengthening our profile in the wider community. Public generosity and support of Project Compassion and Appeals such as the East Africa Food Crisis
Appeal highlights the deep-felt public commitment to our mission of serving the poor and marginalised. GOAL 3 : ST R EN G T H EN P R O G R A MS AND ADVO CA CY
• Continued to streamline our program portfolio, further enhancing our focus in our three priority sectors of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Protection and Sustainable Livelihoods and the alignment of new programs designs with our Integral Human Development Effectiveness Framework. • Enhanced our DRR programming capacity, through supporting DRR training in Sydney, Timor-Leste and Cambodia. Staff and partner representatives from a wide range of countries attended these trainings and reflected on how to better mainstream DRR into new and existing programs. • Completed a meta-analysis of past program evaluations to inform the strengthening of our evaluation processes and embed key learnings. • Deepened our connections with people in the Pacific impacted by climate change. Caritas advocacy staff, in partnership with Pacific Islanders, have taken part in a number of meetings with senior parliamentarians to ensure they are aware of the human impact of this issue. GOAL 4 : D EVELO P ORGANI SA T I O N A L A G I L I T Y A N D COMPE T EN CE
• Increased our focus on the utilisation, optimisation and improvement of social media channels and digital technology for fundraising and supporter engagement. • Implemented a Project Compassion online ordering and tracking system for school and parish resources. This has resulted in faster and more reliable delivery of vital campaign and education assets, and will ensure our flagship campaign continues to have maximum reach.
• Continued to review and improve the Regular Giving program which has sustained the size and value of this priority fundraising area. • Engaged in a vibrant range of fundraising activities with community networks (schools, parishes and the Catholic community) for Project Compassion, delivering $11 million, which was in line with 2015-16. • Continue to strengthen the skills and capabilities of our staff and managers through training, mentoring and targeted policies and procedures.
In 2 0 1 7 -1 8 we wil l : • Strengthen our community engagement, increase our profile and build sustainable relationships with the Australian community to generate funding and vital support. • Undertake new research to further understand and demonstrate our program effectiveness and impact. • Continue to promote cross learning and technical skills development among our staff and partners, particularly within Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Livelihoods and Protection. • Strengthen advocacy by amplifying the voices of the most vulnerable, especially as it relates to people impacted by climate change and Indigenous rights. • Engage with staff via workshops and seminars to enliven and participate in the Christian mission to build a just world. • Continue to strengthen the skills and capabilities of our staff and managers through training, mentoring and targeted policies and procedures. Read more about our Strategic Directions for 2013-18 at www.caritas.org.au/strategy
GOAL 5 : F U N D SU STA I N A B L E GROW TH
• Enhanced our relationships with our Major Donors and increased donations by $1.2 million on the previous Financial Year (2015-16).
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 13
Karimah (centre) says her participation in the Red Dust Healing program has helped her be more confident and become an inspiring leader for young people. Watch her story at www.caritas.org.au/red-dust-healing. Photo: Caritas Australia
FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT DURING THE 2016-17 FINANCIAL YEAR CARITAS AUSTRALIA SPENT OVER $22 MILLION FUNDING INTERNATIONAL AND FIRST AUSTRALIAN PROGRAMS, AND RESPONDING TO NATURAL DISASTERS WITH 50.0 HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE. 40.0 IN THE SAME PERIOD, CARITAS AUSTRALIA IMPLEMENTED AN EXPENDITURE REDUCTION STRATEGY ACROSS THE ORGANISATION TO ADDRESS THE DECLINE IN GOVERNMENT FUNDING AND COMMUNITY INCOME. 30.0
P E RF O R MA N CE The full year results report total income at $38.6 million and expenditure at $37.5 million, creating an organisation surplus of $1 million. The surplus is driven mainly by the positive response to the East Africa Food Crisis Appeal in May/June 2017, program delays associated with obtaining design approval in Nepal, and an expenditure reduction strategy implemented to mitigate external market conditions. Surplus donations are restricted to use only in their respective Appeal programs. Total income for the year is $38.6 million, with community support income representing 64%; recurrent and one-off government grants contributing 33%; overseas grants and other income 3% (bank interest, dividends and restatement of foreign exchange). Though the charitable sector is experiencing a decline in donor giving, Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion has steadily averaged around $11.05 million over the past three years, representing a strong ongoing support and generosity of our donors in the dioceses, schools and community.
Income vs Expenditure ($'m) 50.0 20.0 40.0 10.0 30.0 0 2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2016
2017
20.0
10.0
0 TOTAL INCOME
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Income Source ($'m) 50.0
40.0
30.0 50.0 20.0 40.0 10.0 30.0 0 2013 20.0 COMMUNITY SUPPORT
14 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA 10.0
2014
2015
GOVERNMENT FUNDING
EMERGENCY APPEALS
OTHER INCOME
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
O RG A N IS A TION S T R E N G TH A N D S U P P O RT Our commitment is to ensure that we maximise donor funding and create a greater value and outcome for donor contribution. This is achieved through the implementation of smarter solutions, technology, competitive pricing and streamlining processes. These are all geared towards driving efficiencies, cost reduction, and a lean structure to maintain our admin and fundraising costs (% of total income) to within 10%. The increase in fundraising ratio over the past two years relates to the investment in our donor acquisition program that commenced in 2013. Expenditure on overseas, domestic and community education programs has remained, on average, close to 90% over the years. The slight reduction over the past two years is due to external factors such as natural disasters, delays associated with local government approval, local capacity, and compliance reporting. In these circumstances funds are carried forward to 2017-18.
12 12
Admin/Fundraising Ratio (%)
10 10 8 8 6 6 4 4 2 2 0 0
2013 2013
2014 2014
FUNDRAISING
2015 2015
2016 2016
2017 2017
2016 2016
2017 2017
ADMIN
Total Expenditure - Programs & Education (%) 100 100 80 80 60 60 40 40
E Q U IT Y B R EAKDOWN Unrestricted reserves are used to fund close to 70% of the expenditure in the first six months due to the timing of income from core fundraising activities occurring in the later parts of the year. Restricted reserves comprise of Specified Emergency Appeals, Finance and operating leases and Project funding commitments for which signed agreements are already in place. Its use is specific and restricted for this purpose only.
20 20 0 0 2013 2013
2014 2014
PROGRAMS
2015 2015
EDUCATION
Equity Breakdown
The Caritas Foundation is for the purpose of long-term organisational sustainability. Our Full Financial Report 2016-17 is available to read at www.caritas.org.au/ annualreport
Our commitment is to ensure that we maximise donor funding and create a greater value and outcome for donor contribution.
CARITAS FOUNDATION ACCUMULATED FUNDS FOR FUTURE USE
$8,466,112
$17,866,482 RESTRICTED RESERVES
$8,121,504
FINANCIAL ASSET REVALUATION
$134,072 ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 15
PACIFIC: BOUGAINVILLE
YOUTHFUL
In the upcoming referendum, the people of Bougainville will decide on their future. They are hoping 2019 will bring peace and prosperity for future generations.
In recognition of her leadership and promotion of young women as leaders, Lillianne was named Vice President of the Catholic Youth Association, a Bougainville Youth Initiative partner. Photos: Cassandra Hill/Caritas Australia
16 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Bougainville is a small island north-east of Papua New Guinea with a population of 300,000. During the War for Independence (1988-1998), up to 20,000 people were killed and this conflict has been recognised as the largest in Oceania since World War II. The impact of this is still being felt today. In 2017, over 60% of the population are young people and the majority grew up in a post-conflict setting. The Caritas Australia Bougainville Youth Initiative is a two-year-old program supported by the Australian Government which engages with and supports the youth to build peaceful, positive lives and ensure their voices are heard as the community decides its future.
Bougainville Youth Initiative Working in conjunction with our local partners, this program focuses on supporting young men and women to develop the skills and capacities they need to contribute to economic development, and to increase community and government leadership opportunities. This leadership component was developed in partnership with the Catholic Youth Association of Bougainville. Since it began, the program has strengthened the youth network through leadership training, including targeted training to promote women as leaders, as well as encouraging active debate on important social and political issues. As a result of their increased confidence and skills, the youth have been given a voice and recognition in their communities and parishes.
Lillianne’s Story Initially Lillianne, 21, only participated in the finance training on offer, but upon completion, she returned to her local parish to share her new skills. Her first workshop proved very successful, with 50 people attending – 20 parents and 30 young people. “I came back from the financial literacy training, prepared a similar workshop and brought all the youth leaders in my parish together to train them. I don’t want the youths dependent – they must be independent.” Then, following a training session for brickmaking, which is another part of the program, Lillianne oversaw the development of a new literacy centre in her village in Koromira. Her natural affinity for leadership led members of the Central Deanery to elect her Secretary, and in March 2017, at the Catholic Youth Association gathering, Lillianne was elected Vice President. This is a major turning point. When the program first began, most of the Catholic Youth Association executives were males, but through female leadership trainings more women now hold senior roles. “The common culture in Bougainville and Papua New Guinea is that men take the lead and women often sit back and listen. But since the training, women are now thinking, ‘I can speak … I can take a major role,” said Roslyn Kuniata, Caritas Australia Bougainville Program Manager.
In 2 0 1 6 -1 7 : • From 8 various trainings facilitated since the beginning of the program (July 2015), 1,140 youths now have practical skills such as brick making and, through leadership training, are more confident to participate in community life. • In the past, the Bougainville Catholic Youth Association has always been male dominated. Now, 40% of the leadership roles belong to young women.
“The Bougainville Youth Initiative has made me an outstanding young leader in my community. People see me as a resourceful person.”
Lillianne now sees herself as a role model and the shy, soft-spoken young woman has blossomed, with conviction and self-confidence.
Lillianne and her peers are now employment-ready, using the skills obtained through the Bougainville Youth Initiative to produce bricks and other goods for sale. They are also working together to leverage community networks and sell products effectively.
Read more about our work in Bougainville at www.caritas.org.au/png This program is supported by the Australian Government.
Brickmaking and bricklaying are part of the Bougainville Youth Initiative program.
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 17
AROUND THE WORLD
EVALUATIONS: SAFE COMMUNITIES EVALUATING OUR PROGRAMS IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR ACCOUNTABILITY AND LEARNING. EVALUATIONS ASSIST US TO MANAGE EFFECTIVE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, DEMONSTRATE THE PRACTICAL IMPACT OF OUR WORK, AND ENSURE THAT OUR PROGRAMS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO BUILDING SAFE, PEACEFUL COMMUNITIES. Caritas Australia, through our partnerships, strives to improve the lives of entire communities. To ensure that programs are being implemented in a way that reflects our values, principles of transparency, and are delivering sustainable change, we regularly undertake program evaluations. Evaluations support Caritas Australia to report how funds have been spent, to communicate program results with our donors and to adapt future program strategies building on evaluation findings. Regular reflection and incorporation of learnings is an important process of our work, which is forever changing due to the complexity of aid and development. As evaluations seek the views of program participants about how their lives have changed and how programs can be improved, evaluation findings are helpful in the following ways: • Improve organisation and management, and guide strategic planning processes. • Assist in decision-making by indicating where actions should be taken, where training is required or where further research is needed. • Influence policy and support fundraising. • Promote public accountability and show that our resources have been used efficiently and effectively.
T h e P EA L Te a m The Program Effectiveness Accountability and Learning (PEAL) team is an important part of Caritas’ evaluation process. PEAL is responsible for the continuous strengthening of our evaluation program and provides staff support in the design and planning of evaluations. Caritas Australia regional teams also participate by identifying key questions for investigation, and by working with their local partners to organise the evaluation logistics. To ensure independence, and evaluation rigour and credibility, independent evaluators are contracted to lead 18 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
evaluative events, however PEAL and other Caritas Australia program staff engage at key moments to ensure that learnings are embedded across the agency and findings are acted on.
Codes an d Prin cip les We are continually revising our evaluation processes, which are guided by international development sector standards and evolving best practice. The Development Assistance Committee (DAC), from the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), defines evaluation as ‘an assessment, as systematic and objective as possible, of an ongoing or completed project, program or policy, its design, implementation and results’. The DAC has developed five themes, which Caritas references to guide our evaluations:
The purpose of these programs are to: • Increase participation in leadership, particularly for women. • Offer inclusive and sustained development and livelihoods for women and men, and people with disabilities. • Strengthen linkages with government, so Scheduled Tribes’ access to basic rights and schemes can be improved. Scheduled Tribes are officially designated groups of historically disadvantaged Indigenous people in India. Currently, 200 villages in the two states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand – or 82,000 people –are involved with these programs, most of whom are identified as Scheduled Tribes. The evaluation noted some very positive aspects to the programs within the communities visited, particularly relating to changing gender roles:
• Relevance • Efficiency • Effectiveness • Impact • Sustainability
• Participation and Decision-making: Women now participate in village level meetings, whereas previously women would not have been involved. As a result, women are now more active in decision-making.
Other core reference standards include: ACFID Principles and Guidelines for Ethical Research and Evaluation in Development and The Australasian Evaluation Society Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Evaluations.
• Leadership: Women now make up 30% of office bearer roles in local government structures known as 'Gram Sabah'.
An important Caritas Australia evaluation principle is ‘beneficence’. This principle implies that the expected benefit of any evaluation is, first and foremost, of value to participants and the wider community.
In 2016-17, we evaluated three Caritas Australia-supported programs in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
“We never realised that we have an equal right to participate in the processes of development of our own village. This program has showed me and other numerous women that we have equal rights and entitlements and a ‘right to speak’ what is right and wrong for my own village and for ourselves.”
• Hamara Haq (Our Rights): ensuring tribal rights in Chhattisgarh
– Binita Orao, Self Help Group secretary, Swadhikar village.
Just ice an d Develo p men t in I ndia
• Gram Nirman: community led development in Chhattisgarh • Swadhikar: promoting village level governance in Jharkhand
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
“Earlier, women were not even allowed to come and sit in village meetings. Now we come together. We take lead in pointing out the issues and discussing the points that matter to women as well. We know that being women we have our rights and dignity too. We are married and we have come to live with our husband to his place. We know that we have equal rights over our land, just like our husbands have.” – Female participant in a village meeting (attended by more than 80 people from 6 panchayats with over 60% women in attendance).
Evaluations in 2016-17 This year Caritas Australia evaluated 12 programs in 7 countries. Bangladesh: The Sustainable Livelihood project for Indigenous Community in Dinajpur Bougainville: The Bougainville Youth Initiative program Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Sexual and Gender-based Violence program and the HIV/AIDS program India: The Ensuring Tribal Rights (Hamara Haq – Our Rights) project, the Community led Development in Chhattisgarh (Gram Nirman) project, and the Promoting Village Level Governance (Swadhikar) project Laos: The Peuan Mit Transitional Home project and the Peauan Mit Livelihood Development project Mozambique: The Chokwe Integrated Rural Development project, and the Namaacha and Radio Tecnica Integrated Community Development project Vietnam: The Sustainable Rural Development Disability program
Women participating in the evaluation and sharing stories of how their engagement in the community has changed through their involvement with the Ensuring Tribal Rights (Hamara Haq – Our Rights) project in Chhattisgarh, India. Photo: Lisa McMurray/Caritas Australia
I n 201 7 -1 8 we will: • Update the Caritas Australia evaluation tools with findings from a study into our evaluations (meta-analysis) conducted this year. Caritas uses a number of standard tools when evaluating, so that we apply a consistent lens to evaluations. Some of these tools to be revised are: • An evaluation 'Terms of Reference' (TOR) • An evaluation checklist • An evaluation guideline
• Further opportunities will be sought to build evaluative capacity for Caritas Australia staff. This will include cross learning and participation of our staff in Caritas Australia evaluations in other regions. • Investigate new internal processes and program information management software to allow us to better capture, analyse and report our impact and contribution toward the four Integral Human Development (IHD) outcomes. See page 12 for more on IHD.
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 19
ASIA: TIMOR-LESTE (EAST TIMOR)
With the support of Caritas Australia, Martina (as featured on the front cover) participated in a Protection Program in Timor-Leste. In this photo she is speaking with Domingas, a counsellor at Uma PAS women's shelter. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
F O R FA M I L I E S Timor-Leste has made great progress in rebuilding following the countrywide violence and destruction in 1999, when the East Timorese voted for independence, and since the internal conflict in 2006 that brought social and economic disruption. Throughout this time, Caritas Australia has helped to foster peace and develop livelihoods.
Alfonso, Maria and other participants of the Caritas Australiasupported protection program in Timor-Leste, after attending a training on Strengthening Family Relationships. Photo: Euclito Amaral
20 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
A small nation of 1.2 million people, Timor-Leste is one of the least developed countries in the world, with food shortages and low levels of basic health, literacy and income. Our agency is helping people to overcome these challenges through two long-term development programs. This year we accompanied 22 local grassroots community organisations in four municipalities to enhance the dignity of 3,358 people.
Protection Program The Protection Program works in Baucau, Viqueque, Manufahi and Oecusse to improve the protection of survivors of gender based violence, vulnerable children, people living with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups. It provides conflict resolution, legal, psycho-social and livelihoods support which assists to build resilience and dignity. To increase men’s understanding of their role in developing a society free from violence, specific community-level activities are targeted towards men and boys. In partnership with 14 local organisations, the Protection Program aims to: • Promote the protection and resilience of vulnerable women and children. • Strengthen community structures and relationships. • Increase awareness of rights and responsibilities.
Alfonso’s Story
In 2 0 1 6 -1 7 : • 1,464 people benefited from this program (61% female and 39% male) by acquiring small business management skills, and education about gender-based violence and human rights. • 103 women and children survivors of violence were assisted in two women’s shelters.
Alfonso*, 45, works as a village farmer in Viqueque municipality, Timor-Leste. In his adolescence, he was often beaten by his father, and in his adult life he acted violently against his wife, Maria*. Alfonso would try to cope with everyday struggles by drinking alcohol, and when there was no money for liquor, he would hit Maria. In 2016, he was approached by a village community leader and asked if he'd like to take part in Protection Program activities. Initially he was reluctant, but he soon decided to find out more. Alfonso participated in ‘Strengthening the Family’ workshops where he learned how to establish and sustain peaceful relationships in the family through reducing pressure and stress, improve his communication with family and community members, and better understand women’s rights and gender issues.
“This program changed my behaviour to become a good husband to my wife and to be good father to my children.”
Alfonso also learned how to establish a small business with support from a small grant. After training, he established a kiosk, which Maria now looks after, and together they’ve been able to save some money. "He has made a significant change to his behaviour," said Cornelio Ase from Caritas Australia. “He has been selected as a model for other men in his village, and his family is living in harmony and peace.” “My past was very bad – this program changed my behaviour to become a good husband to my wife and to be good father to my children," said Alfonso. Read more about our work in Timor-Leste at www.caritas.org.au/timor-leste
Caritas Australia and our local partners work with rural families to identify the factors that contribute to violence within families. We also provide immediate protection to women and children through two women’s shelters. The empowerment of women, and ensuring men understand the role they play in family life, are both important strategies for development and peacebuilding. *Please note that names have been changed for this story. This program is supported by the Australian Government.
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 21
CARITAS COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: OUR DIOCESAN NETWORK THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GROUP IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR AGENCY’S WORK WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN COMMUNITY.
Thank you for your tremendous advocacy and community work.
OUR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION LEADERS, NETWORK OF DIOCESAN DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES AND VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE ESSENTIAL TO CARITAS AUSTRALIA’S VISION AND MISSION.
T h e r o l e o f D i o cesa n D i re c t o r s Diocesan Directors are appointed by the local Bishop and are the official Caritas Australia representatives in Australia’s Catholic regional and Eastern Rite Dioceses. Mostly volunteers, they serve as the critical relationship link between Caritas Australia and the local Diocesan community of parishes, schools, Catholic networks and with the broader Australian community. They are the ‘life-blood’ and ‘animators’ of Caritas’ grassroots engagement with the Australian Catholic community. I N 2 0 1 6- 17 O UR CO M MUNIT Y PA RTI CI PA T I O N LEA DE RS AND DI OC E SA N D I R ECTO RS WE RE :
Nati o n a l Maronite Eparchy: Rev Fr Tony Sarkis Diocesan Director, Ukrainian Eparchy of Australia: Very Rev, Archpriest Michael Kalka Group Coordinator, Community Participation Leader – Northern Region/ Qld; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Brisbane: Joseph Foley
Community Participation Leader – ACT/ Canberra, Goulburn and Wagga Wagga; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Canberra/Goulburn: Lulu Mitshabu
Diocesan Coordinator, Sandhurst: Kerry Stone
Community Participation Leader – Western Region/WA & NT; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Perth: Rev Deacon Paul Reid
Diocesan Director, Broome: Fr Christopher Knapman
NEW SOUT H WALE S Diocesan Director, Armidale: Naomi D'Arcy Diocesan Director, Bathurst: Carmen Beard Diocesan Director, Broken Bay: Cristina Gomez Diocesan Director, Lismore: Rev Deacon Graeme Davis Maitland-Newcastle Team: Diocesan link – Theresa Brierley, Parish Liaison – Patricia Bannister and Gayle Williams Diocesan Director, Parramatta: Sr Louise McKeogh Diocesan Director, Wagga Wagga – vacant Diocesan Director, Wilcannia-Forbes – vacant
Community Participation Leader – Southern Region/SA; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Adelaide: Angela Hart
Diocesan Director, Wollongong – vacant
Community Participation Leader – Southern Region/Victoria; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Melbourne: Sr Margaret Fyfe
Diocesan Director, Ballarat: Susan Searls
Community Participation Leader – Eastern Region/NSW; Diocesan Director, Archdiocese of Sydney: Cathy Hammond 22 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Vict or ia Diocesan Director, Sale – vacant Diocesan Director, Sandhurst: Fr Rom Hayes
WE ST E RN AUST RAL I A
Diocesan Director, Bunbury: Peter Williams Diocesan Director, Geraldton: Rosemary Taylor
Q U E E N SL AN D Diocesan Director, Cairns: Paul O’Connor Diocesan Director, Townsville: Mary McAuliffe Diocesan Director, Toowoomba: Catherine McAleer
N ORT H E RN T E RRITORY Diocesan Director, Darwin: Pauline Bourke
Tasman ia Diocesan Director, Hobart – vacant
So u th Au stralia Diocesan Director, Port Pirie: Fr Paul Bourke For contact details head to www.caritas.org.au/contact-us Caritas Australia Community Engagement Manager: Fr George Sigamony
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Sr Margaret in Lima, Peru with a participant of the Caritas Chosica project.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS S i st e r Ma r g a r et Fy f e
R ay L o we
This year, after 17 years with Caritas Australia, Brigidine Sister Margaret Fyfe retired from her role as Diocesan Director in Melbourne. Fluent in Spanish and with a love for Latin America, for a number of years Sr Margaret also took up the role of Program Coordinator for Latin America.
After thirteen years, Ray Lowe retired from his role as the Diocesan Director of Bunbury, Western Australia. Ray worked tirelessly in his role, building strong relationships with communities, parishes and schools in the diocese.
“One of the things that I hear is that we should be helping our own before helping others. I think we can be better than that and be generous to those both within and outside Australia. The creation of a peaceful world depends on us helping people to live with hope and dignity in their own communities and countries."
“My work could not have been made possible without the support of my fellow Diocesan Directors, and staff in national office. However, the biggest impact has been at the diocesan level where the priests, parish secretaries and parish Project Compassion representatives have ensured that the support of Caritas is maintained.”
Peter Williams, Bu n b u r y Peter Williams, Diocesan Director for Bunbury, is a retired businessman and an active member of the Leschenault Parish in Australind, Western Australia. As well as being an acolyte at the Church of Christ the Living Vine, Peter has previously worked at the St Vincent de Paul Society.
Cristin a Go mez, Bro ken Bay Dr Cristina Gomez, Diocesan Director for Broken Bay, is also the Life, Charity and Social Development Coordinator for Broken Bay Diocese in New South Wales. Cristina's faith inspires her to passionately engage in issues of justice and integral human development.
"My work could not have been made possible without the support of my fellow Diocesan Directors, and staff in national office."
Cath erin e McAleer, To o wo o mb a
– Ray Lowe
I n Memo riam On Sunday 30 April 2017, our dear colleague and friend Tom van Kints passed away at the Mater Hospital in North Sydney. Tom served faithfully in the role of Diocesan Director in the Wollongong Diocese for 18 years.
Students from St Mary Star of the Sea College Wollongong presenting a cheque to Tom Van Kints for Project Compassion 2015. Photo: Seth Harsh
N E W ME MBE RS OF T H E DIOCE SAN N E T WO RK I N 2 0 1 6 -1 7
“Tom’s love for Caritas was evident in his diligence, love and support of all things Caritas, especially Project Compassion. He will be sadly missed,” said colleague and friend Patricia Bannister, Diocesan Director of Maitland Newcastle.
In 2009, Catherine McAleer, who is Diocesan Director for Toowoomba, Queensland, visited Papua New Guinea and had an eye-opening encounter with poverty. Her background as a primary school teacher has instilled in her a sense of the importance of empowering young people.
Ro semar y Taylo r, Gerald to n As Diocesan Director for Geraldton, Western Australia, Rosemary Taylor's love of communication, along with her deep faith, make her an important part of her parish life and a valuable new member of the Caritas community. ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 23
CARITAS COMMUNITY
ENRICHED LEARNING THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GROUP WORKS TO EDUCATE, ELEVATE AND TRANSFORM YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE WIDER AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY WITH THEIR MISSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. Community engagement works to transform the hearts and minds of Australians through free educational resources, student and teacher workshops, and opportunities for community members to lead and participate in fundraising events and advocacy campaigns. We are composed of three groups: Justice Resources, Justice Educators and Community Participation.
J u sti ce R e s o u r ces Justice Resources created and promoted materials that: • Focused on creating high quality resources for schools; expanding further into resources for parishes. • Engaged deeply with the Australian Curriculum so that we are better able to support teachers in integrating Catholic Social Teaching, justice and global issues across their teaching programs. • Unpacked our advocacy campaigns and major social justice issues, with resources for Project Compassion and Stolen Generations (Kinchela Boys Home), for example. I N 2 0 1 6- 17:
• 62,000 justice resources were downloaded from our website (up from 57,000 last year). • The CST toolkit continued to be the most popular resource, with 139,000 visitors viewing over 700,000 pages (a 29% annual increase).
J u sti ce Ed u c a tor s The Justice Educator group offers student and teacher justice action workshops. These enrich the learning of students and teachers in Australian Catholic schools and universities. I N 2 0 16- 17:
• Approximately 70 Just Leadership Days were conducted throughout Australia. These workshops encourage students to become leaders for justice in their schools and communities. • 2,500 students attended social justice-related workshops, 500 teachers attended professional development opportunities and 7,000 students learnt about global poverty at smaller school seminars or events. 24 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Com m u n ity Par ticip atio n Community Participation Leaders and Diocesan Directors around the country continue to engage and enhance our reach. In line with our strategic direction, we endeavour to engage with existing networks while exploring new avenues to deepen our Catholic identity. IN 2 0 1 6 -17:
• Our Diocesan Director network once again made a significant impact by ensuring that the voice of the voiceless was heard across Australia. • Diocesan Directors are particularly active throughout Project Compassion and this year was no different. By facilitating Project Compassion launch events and key speakers, parish and school talks, community fundraising events and speaking to the press, Diocesan Directors ensured that stories of hope and transformation were told to thousands of Australians. This network contributed significantly to help Caritas Australia achieve the $11 million target for Project Compassion 2017. Explore our justice resources for : Schools – www.caritas.org.au/schools Parishes and community groups – www.caritas.org.au/parishes
Educating Australia's youth is at the heart of Caritas Australia's mission.
In 2 0 1 7 - 1 8 we will : • Further develop volunteering opportunities, including piloting a Parish Representative Network within the parishes of each diocese. • Develop resources for the Australian Catholic Youth Festival, December 2017. • Plan for the Transforming Service Conference in April 2018 (a conference for educators and leaders). • Increase the promotion of resources, events and engagement opportunities and grow the e -news subscriber base. • Work more effectively to capture qualitative impact data. • Continue to explore innovative ways to encourage the community to engage with global issues.
The Community Engagement group works with schools, universities, parishes and community groups to raise awareness of global poverty and build Just Leaders.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
BEQUESTS: A LASTING GIFT IN 2016-17 WE RECEIVED $2,265,968 FROM 46 SEPARATE BEQUESTS. WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL TO THOSE WHO HAVE MADE THIS CONTRIBUTION.
"How powerful prayer is! May we never lose the courage to say: Lord, give us your peace."
Elisa Hogue with students from Ryan Catholic College at the Townsville Launch for Project Compassion 2017. Photo: Neil Helmore
– Pope Francis
George Apap
Margaret Patricia Cavill
Katharina Liebig
June Aileen Sheppard
Elizabeth Amy Barry Aulsebrook
John Edward Dineen
Anthony Alexander McGowen
Eleanor Mary Trethewie
Mary Fogarty
Virginia Mary Miller
Adriana Maria Valodka
Leonard Furtado
Audrey Patricia Mitchell
Nola Aileen Wagner
Fr. Gerald Edmund Gallagher
Msgr. James Francis Nestor
Noel Leslie Weightman
Franceis B Gray
Leo Desmond O'Brien
Mary Margaret Wylie
Fr. Peter Michael Greene
Sylvia Margaret O'Brien
Henry Charles Young
Linda Diane King
Harry Joseph Otten
Fr. Edmund John Barry Patrick John Brophy Eva Mavis Carlos Beulah Carter Charles Edward Carruthers
MAJOR SUPPORTERS Cathryn Byrne and Robert Campagnaro
Michael and Rosemary Gibbings
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Keady Investment Trust
Dr Marie J Delaney Delron Foundation Vincent and Michelle Fernon
Bernard and Bernadette Lawrence Mr Tom and Carolyn Lyons OAM
D and C McIntosh
Vincent and Virginia Scanlan
J & M Nolan Family Trust
Gerald and Virginia Stack
The Noel and Carmel O’Brien Family Trust
Skellern Family Foundation
Reuben Pelerman Benevolent Foundation
KF Stewart Family Trust P and C Tobin
CORPORATES Connellan
CCI Personal Insurance
Dunmarra
Medtronic
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 25
CARITAS COMMUNITY
ADVOCACY: AN AUTHENTIC FAITH IN RECOGNITION THAT POVERTY AND INJUSTICE ARE COMPLEX AND OFTEN SYSTEMIC ISSUES, CARITAS AUSTRALIA ADVOCATES TO CHALLENGE STRUCTURES THAT PERPETUATE POVERTY – TAKING ACTION TO PROMOTE HUMAN DIGNITY AND THE REALISATION OF RIGHTS FOR MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD. Thank you for standing up for the voiceless and for our environment. Together we: • Uphold human dignity by calling for Australia to enhance our contributions to global development efforts. • Support strong action on climate change and combat its impacts on our partner communities. • Support policies and initiatives which promote subsidiarity and ensure the advancement of First Australians’ leadership and decision-making.
Hi g h l i g h t s In 2016-17, Caritas Australia in collaboration with Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and Caritas Tonga, launched the State of the Environment Report for Oceania titled Hungry for Justice, Thirsty for Change. The report demonstrates the human impact of what science has long been telling us: that the seas are rising, we are experiencing more extreme weather events at greater ferocity and that the people who are the least responsible for climate change are the most heavily impacted. Report Ambassador, Maria Tiimon of Kiribati received considerable media attention and the report was presented to a number of federal politicians and senior civil servants calling on them to take stronger action on climate change. In 2016-17, Caritas Australia, in partnership with our First Australian partners, published a Joint Statement of Subsidiarity. The statement builds off a rich history of Catholic Social Teaching on the principle of subsidiarity and, most centrally, the experience and leadership of our First Australian partners. The statement includes a number of asks including the need to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lead in developing and implementing policy that affects their lives. The statement includes an etching by Aboriginal artist Tom E. Lewis. The statement will be presented to a range of state and federal politicians in the future. In partnership with the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, Catholic
26 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Women in Kenya celebrate installing a solar panel which will provide power for schools, clinics and irrigation systems. These were supplied by Caritas Isiolo, a partner of CAFOD (Catholic Agency For Overseas Development - England and Wales). Photo: Annie Bungeroth, CAFOD/Caritas
Earthcare, Common Grace, the Edmund Rice Centre, Pacific Calling Partnership, TEAR Australia and the Uniting Church, Caritas Australia led a multi-electorate, multi-faith, pen and paper climate petition. Micah Australia developed the concept and ignited the campaign. The petition gained significant momentum with over 200 volunteers gathering tens of thousands of signatures in 100 electorates. Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists took to the streets to collect signatures. In each electorate, volunteers met with their local MP, presented the petition and led a conversation on climate change. The petition received strong media engagement and was the largest faith-based climate petition in our country’s history.
I n 2017-1 8 we will: • Promote Pope Francis’ statement on migrants, set to be released in September 2017. • Promote the 2017 State of the Environment for Oceania Report with a guest speaker from a community impacted by climate change.
• Launch a divestment campaign for individuals, Catholic institutions and government. • Continue to work with coalition partners, Catholic schools, parishes and parliamentarians to help build a bipartisan commitment for an increased overseas aid program. Read more about our campaigns at www.caritas.org.au/act
“An authentic faith … always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave the earth somehow better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations.” – Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium c183
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
COMMUNICATING CARITAS: SHARING STORIES THE QUEST FOR THE FULL REALISATION OF HUMAN DIGNITY AND WELLBEING FOR ALL PEOPLES IS AT THE HEART OF CARITAS AUSTRALIA'S COMMUNICATIONS AND STORYTELLING.
The meeting with Michael Macguire was a memorable one for Sister Ivy Khoury, a Rabbitohs fan since 1967. Photo: Nicole Clements/ Caritas Australia
Our work in the media and across all of our communications is guided by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We celebrate the lives of those we work with globally and their powerful stories of strength and resilience. The Promotion of Peace is one of those principles, highlighting that peace is the fruit of justice and is dependent upon right order among human beings.
the ABC, SBS and National Indigenous TV, the Channel 7 story alone received almost 150,000 views on their Facebook page. In March 2017, Sister Ivy Khoury, Africa Program Coordinator, teamed up with Michael to launch Project Compassion. Find out more at www.caritas.org.au/rabbitohs
S ha r i n g s t o r i es
Highlig h ts
The sharing of stories of those most vulnerable to poverty and the challenges they face – often in their own words – helps to build strong and deep connections within the Australian community. Across 2016-17, our mainstream media stories reached more than 8.4 million people, around a third of Australia’s population. Our website also set new records, surpassing three million annual page views for the first time.
E x p a n d i n g o ur Audience Our media and social media strategy focused on expanding our regional and mainstream media audience, particularly for Project Compassion. In 2017, our Project Compassion stories reached approximately one million people through mainstream media. A combination of offline and online promotion during the six weeks of Lent resulted in almost one million page impressions. Gaining a national spotlight was the Project Compassion story of Uncle Richard and the Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation (KBHAC). This story tells how KBHAC, with the support of Caritas Australia, offered Uncle Richard and other former Stolen Generations survivors the chance to heal after a childhood of suffering. Commercial TV networks, radio and print media covered a meeting between Uncle Richard and other Kinchela men, the Sydney Rabbitohs team and coach Michael Macguire. Aired on Channel 7,
• Semiti from Project Compassion 2017 received much coverage from ABC and Catholic media outlets. Director of the People's Community Network, an organisation which empowers landless Fijians living in informal settlements, Semiti grew up in one such informal or 'squatter' settlement. • CaritasNews, our quarterly supporter publication, is mailed to approximately 40,000 supporters and is available online at www.caritas.org.au/ publications. In 2016-17, 86% of the articles were direct interviews with program participants and Caritas supporters. • Following a visit to Kenya, Caritas Australia CEO Paul O’Callaghan appeared regularly on ABC TV, in The Sydney Morning Herald and across Catholic media to highlight the East Africa food crisis and the 23 million people facing starvation. Our agency commissioned polling data which showed two thirds of Australians were either unaware or knew very little about the crisis. • In the last month, last week and last day of the 2016-17 financial year, we broke our own previous records for online donations.
In 2 0 1 7 -1 8 we wi l l : • Use digital channels to further promote justice by creating relevant, interesting and shareable content across multiple platforms. • Continue to strengthen our strong reputation and raise the profile of Caritas Australia’s work with vulnerable communities globally and our partners. • Increase our reach through comprehensive media and social media strategies, and use more innovative technologies in our storytelling.
T h is year o n lin e: • 15% more Facebook friends • Our Facebook posts were viewed over 5 million times • 50% more Instagram followers • 518,962 people visited pages on our website over 3.1 million times • 71,444 resources downloaded
Like us on social media and put some good news stories into your feed. facebook.com/CaritasAU instagram.com/caritasaust twitter.com/CaritasAust youtube.com/CaritasAustralia www.caritas.org.au
Our mainstream media stories reached more than 8.4 million people, around a third of Australia’s population.
Keep up-to-date at www.caritas.org.au/media
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 27
CARITAS COMMUNITY
EVENTS: COMPASSION INTO ACTION THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CARITAS AUSTRALIA AND PUTTING COMPASSION INTO ACTION IN 2016-17. YOUR SUPPORT HELPS US CHANGE LIVES FOR GOOD.
Wal k t o a B e t t er Wor ld
Wom en fo r th e Wo rld
In June 2017, Matt Napier began a new three-month adventure to raise awareness of global poverty. The funds raised for Caritas Australia will help communities affected by extreme poverty become more self-reliant through sustainable development and overcome the devastating cycle of poverty.
For the past four years, Women for the World has contributed to empowering women and their communities on a global scale. This year the May events, which were held in Sydney, Melbourne and, for the first time in Canberra, raised over $98,000 for the Seedling of Hope program.
Matt walked 1850km from the southern border of Namibia to the northern border with Angola. He hopes that by putting his body on the line he’ll inspire others to make real long-lasting change for communities in need. The funds raised for Caritas Australia will go towards our Zimbabwe Integrated Community Development Program which assists with safe drinking water and sanitation facilities for local villagers by training them in the building of wells and latrines (toilets). www.walktoabetterworld.com
On 5 May 2017, Fr Charles Lukati led the Caritas Australia team in the Sunday Mail Bay-city fun run, Adelaide, SA. Together they raised over $14,000.
Students with Walk to a Better World's Matt Napier and Caritas Australia's Lulu Mitshabu at St Clare's College in Canberra, ACT. Photo: Cassandra Hill/ Caritas Australia
28 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
This program empowers women and children affected by HIV and AIDS in Cambodia. Guest speaker and Director of the program, Sr Leonor Montiel, shed light on how people are being given a chance to live a new life with dignity, to improve their economic wellbeing and become independent.
Organise or attend an event Head to www.caritas.org.au/ events for upcoming events or www.caritas.org.au/yourfundraising-event for some great ideas to create your own.
Women for the World Committee Members Alison Green, Nicole Murphy and Michelle Fernon with Sr Leonor Montiel. Photo: Peter Brennan/Caritas Australia
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Volunteers from the St Stephen’s Cathedral Young Adult Ministry in Brisbane, Qld. Photo: Margherita Gregory, KISS Photography
P R O J ECT C O M PA SSI O N I N C OM E 2013-2017
“You should love your neighbour as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39 www.caritas.org.au/ projectcompassion Jessica, from MaitlandNewcastle in NSW, is a 2016 Pastoral Placement participant and supporter of Project Compassion. Photo: Joanne Isaac
2014
$11.6m
2013
$11m
Thank you for supporting Project Compassion 2017 and helping us raise $11 million.
$11.1m
This year, Lent began on Wednesday 1 March and our stories came from people in the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Australia, Vietnam and Fiji.
2016
2017
8 $ Million
In 2017, the Project Compassion stories demonstrated how love for our neighbours can transform lives. Their stories humbled and inspired us, and showed how fundraising for Project Compassion helps to build better lives – for individuals, families and communities.
10
$10.7m
12
CARITAS AUSTRALIA’S ANNUAL LENTEN FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESSRAISING APPEAL IS AN EXTRAORDINARY, ONGOING DEMONSTRATION OF THE FAITH, LOVE AND GENEROSITY OF THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY AND CARING SUPPORTERS THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA.
$11m
PROJECT COMPASSION 2017: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR
6 4 2 0
2015
During Lent, Project Compassion 2017 received support from over 2,500 schools and parishes, and 20,000 individual donors from across Australia.
To raise funds, Isabella from Marian Catholic College in Kenthurst, NSW, made these adorable Piggytas cupcakes. Photo: Danielle Ward
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 29
CARITAS COMMUNITY
EMERGENCY RELIEF AND APPEALS: WORKING FOR PEACE WITH THE RECENT DECLARATION OF A FAMINE ACROSS TWO COUNTIES OF SOUTH SUDAN, THE SOUTH SUDAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES RELEASED A POWERFUL STATEMENT ON THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, CONDEMNING THE CIVIL WAR AND LABELLING THE FAMINE MAN-MADE. Read in full at www.caritas.org.au/southsudanchurchstatement
Sudan is gripped Our Country, the Republic of South has now been by a humanitarian crisis, and famine affected, with large declared. Millions of our people are es and many fleeing numbers displaced from their hom are facing to neighbouring countries, where they terrible hardships in refugee camps. g due to In a country, which is already sufferin , hundreds of omy insecurity and the collapsed econ if they do not thousands of people face starvation struggling simply receive food quickly. Our people are
A prolonged drought and ongoing war is taking its toll on the inhabitants of Illuhum Village in Torit, South Sudan. The Caritas network will continue to assist in the peace effort. Photo: Patrick Nicholson/ Caritas Internationalis
Fu n d s raised fo r E merg en cy Relief an d Ap p eals Year
Amount raised
to survive.
2012-13:
$1,985,329
munity and all We appeal to the International Com to provide Friends of the People of South Sudan but we also appeal ce, immediate and large-scale assistan to stop harassing to the warring parties to stop the war, , and to open our people, to stop the looting of food both people and credible humanitarian corridors to allow t needy areas. relief commodities to reach the mos
2013-14:
$7,334,787*
2014-15:
$6,215,983
2015-16:
$2,276,252
2016-17:
$2,540,464
made an appeal for The Holy Father Pope Francis has this time, it is “suffering South Sudan”, saying, “At mit not to stop at more necessary than ever that all com ide concrete food making statements, but also to prov g populations. May aid and to allow it to reach sufferin and sisters and all the Lord sustain these our brothers those working to help them.”
“May the Lord sustain these our brothers and sisters and all those working to help them.” – Pope Francis 30 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
*This increase from 2012-13 was due to donations for the Typhoon Haiyan Emergency Appeal (Philippines, November 2013)
Together we can work towards everlasting peace. To donate visit www.caritas.org.au/donate or call 1800 024 413. Head to www.caritas.org.au/ emergencies for all our emergency appeals.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
FUNDRAISING AND APPEALS: HEARTFELT THANKS YOUR GENEROSITY IS VITAL TO ENSURING THAT THE WORK OF CARITAS CONTINUES AROUND THE WORLD. OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL SUPPORTERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. TOGETHER, THIS YEAR, WE RAISED $24.7 MILLION.
A Caritas Australia-supported program in Vietnam offers Nguyet an education, a creative outlet and much-needed community interaction. Her disability no longer holds her back. Read her story for Project Compassion 2017 at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion. Photo: Richard Wainwright/Caritas Australia
D o n a t i o n s i n 2016-17
Wh ere o u r In co me co mes fro m 2 0 1 6 - 17
Our donors are vital partners in our mission to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity.
FY 2017
Fundraising income
In a worldwide environment where charitable donations are declining, our Catholic community continues to display incredible generosity and this continues to sustain our ability to help those who need it the most. Regular Giving Income: Caritas Neighbours are a group of people who give a regular monthly gift to Caritas Australia. This year, we received donations totalling $3.9 million. These regular gifts allow Caritas Australia to plan longterm commitments to program partners who depend on our support for their essential work. Regular Giving is the easiest and most cost effective way to contribute financially to our work. Direct Marketing: Through stories and photos, our Direct Mail Appeal Packs help keep supporters informed about the impact of their donations. These appeals generated $2 million in donations and helped to foster a closer connection between our supporters and the communities we serve.
Bequests
$2.3m
Emergency appeals
$2.5m
General donations
$1.1m
Direct marketing appeals
$2.0m
Philanthropy
$1.8m
Regular Giving
$3.9m
Project Compassion
$11m
Events
$0.1m
TOTAL
$24.7m
See pages 14-15 for Australian Government funding assistance.
T h is year: • Over 9,000 donations made online • Almost 125,000 donations made in total • Over 35,000 people contributed to raise $24.7 million • $1.7 million raised for the East Africa Food Crisis Appeal
Fu n d r a i s i n g Incom e 2013-2017 FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
Bequests
$2.94m
$2.82m
$2.32m
$4.06m
$2.27m
Emergencies
$1.99m
$7.33m
$6.22m
$2.28m
$2.54m
General donations
$1.64m
$2.39m
$1.26m
$1.00m
$1.08m
Direct marketing appeals
$2.27m
$2.65m
$3.27m
$3.27m
$2.00m
Philanthropy
$1.03m
$1.36m
$1.79m
$1.23m
$1.81m
Regular Giving
$2.68m
$3.12m
$3.58m
$3.86m
$3.86m
$10.77m
$10.67m
$11.47m
$11.07m
$11.00m
Events
$0.10m
$0.17m
$0.22m
$0.23m
$0.16m
TOTAL
$23.42m
$30.51m
$30.13m
$27.00m
$24.72m
Fundraising income
Project Compassion
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 31
AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)
Tshiza is celebrating at the Caritas Australia supported peace centre in Ndosho, DRC. Now a small business owner, selling fish, oil and beans, Tshiza is able to look after her children and grandchildren. Photo: Lulu Mitshabu/Caritas Australia
FOR SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in the heart of Africa, has endured more than a century of exploitation, and conflict is ongoing. Caritas Australia’s programs promote peacebuilding and offer medical support for former child soldiers and survivors of rape.
32 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Despite its wealth of minerals and fertile land, conflict and corruption have devastated economic and social development in the DRC. Between 1998 and 2007, 5.4 million people lost their lives to conflict, disease and malnutrition. Fighting over land, minerals, politics and race continues to uproot communities, limit essential services, stunt communities’ economic growth, and undermine justice. By 2014, around 44 armed groups were operating in the DRC. This persistent armed conflict, lack of basic social services throughout the country, and relentlessly acute nature of the crisis have led to the internal displacement of 3.8 million people. This is the highest number of displaced people in the African continent. Sexual violence has been widely used as a weapon of war in the DRC. In 2011, the Eastern provinces were found to have the highest prevalence of rape in the world. Our work focuses on women and girls who are the survivors of rape and sexual violence, former child soldiers, and communities affected by conflict. With a focus on protection and advocacy, we support three programs covering issues such as HIV and AIDS, healthcare and psychosocial support, microfinance and agriculture.
P r o t ect ion a nd R eint egratio n o f E x- com ba t a nt s
In 2 0 1 6 -1 7 : • 1,300 community participants have been supported to form 32 associations. Through these associations they have established small businesses, enabling them to generate income to pay for children’s school fees and health care for their families. Ex-combatants have now been accepted by their peers.
The aim of the Protection and Reintegration of Ex-combatants program in South Kivu is to rehabilitate former child soldiers, and victims of rape, so they can live full and peaceful lives. Caritas Australia works alongside Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (England and Wales) CAFOD and Caritas Bukavu to provide medical and psychosocial support, trauma counselling, livelihood training and peacebuilding skills for women and men who have been victims of violence.
Furaha’s Story Furaha, 30, lives in a village near South Kivu, DRC. One of nine siblings, she completed primary school but her family could not afford for her to attend high school. When Furaha was 15, she was collecting water from a nearby river when a group of armed men abducted her and 11 other girls. They were taken to a forest where, for six months, they were sexually exploited. During this time, the girls were guarded around the clock, but one day, Furaha and six girls received a lucky break. They were allowed to collect water unaccompanied – so they took the opportunity to escape. “I was saved and fled to Bukavu where I met Caritas Australia through CAFOD and Caritas Bukavu. They accompanied me spiritually, psychologically, socially and in vocational training where I learnt textile weaving and dressmaking," said Furaha.
“I am running a sewing workshop which is supporting my life, helping me to take care of myself and to forget everything,” said Furaha. Photo: CAFOD
“They [Caritas] accompanied me spiritually, psychologically, socially and in vocational training where I learnt textile weaving and dressmaking.”
During the week, Furaha, who is now married with a baby on the way and has three adopted children, runs a sewing workshop. A Caritas spokesperson said that she has helped many girls and women who have lived through similar situations, but not only is she assisting them, she is healing her own self. “This is supporting my life, helping me to take care of myself and to forget everything.” Read more about our work in the DRC at www.caritas.org.au/drc This program is supported by the Australian Government.
As this program includes income-generating activities, it encourages women to take part in livelihood training. Women are also playing key roles, such as treasurers, in associated organisations. Economic opportunities also mean villagers are not joining armed groups, living conditions are improving, and people are saving money and able to borrow small amounts through Caritas Bukavu’s Savings and Internal Lending Communities.
ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 | 33
CARITAS COMMUNITY
PEOPLE AND CULTURE: SUPPORT AND STRENGTH OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION HAS UNDERGONE CONSIDERABLE CHANGE, RENEWAL AND CONSOLIDATION. OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO MAXIMISE OUR CAPACITY TO SUPPORT STAFF AND MANAGERS AND TO STRENGTHEN OUR CULTURE. The Caritas Australia community is creatively speaking out for a Fairer World.
E x te r n a l R evi e w In the latter part of 2016, Caritas Australia commissioned an external review of the human resources function and this involved a survey of the needs and expectations of our staff. The results of this survey assisted the Leadership Team to refocus the core responsibilities of human resources. Those core responsibilities centre on: • Skills transfer to equip staff and managers with the capabilities they need to undertake their roles efficiently and effectively. • Provision of strategic guidance to the Leadership Team and managers. • Support for a learning culture through targeted training programs and an annual training calendar. • Maintaining an up-to-date suite of procedures to guide operational decision-making and processes.
2 0 1 6 - 17 H i g h l i ght s • To reflect our new strategic and operational focus, and our commitment to our staff and our values, mission and culture, the Human Resources team was retitled the People and Culture team. • We established a HR Business Partner model to support Australianbased and overseas-based staff. • Our learning and development programs focused on: • Communication • Coaching • Delegation • Interpersonal Skills
34 | CARITAS AUSTRALIA
• Change Management • Conflict Resolution and Resilience • Child Protection • Bullying and Harassment Prevention • In the first half of the year, the restructure of the Engagement and Sustainability team was largely completed. In total, we recruited approximately 30 staff to new roles in the team. • We undertook considerable work to strengthen our volunteers and internships program. There was a slight drop in the number of officebased volunteers, however there are positive indications that we will be in a position to expand our numbers over 2017-18. • We made excellent progress on a total review of conditions of employment for our overseas staff, the development of new contracts of employment to strengthen compliance with local labour laws, and the establishment of an online human resources manual for our overseas staff and managers. • We established our in-house publication Colleague Colloquiums to enable staff to share their experiences and passions in life including travel experiences, music and fine cuisine. • We initiated development of a partnership with the Australian Catholic University to facilitate the placement of social work students in Caritas Australia. • We revised key procedures including recruitment to ensure engagement and retention of competent staff and volunteers.
• We developed an overarching Human Resources strategy to support and strengthen all people related activities in Caritas Australia. • We revitalised workforce planning practices to ensure structures, job descriptions and capabilities met the needs of Caritas Australia.
In 2 0 1 7 -1 8 we will: Instigate new procedures, new training programs and a stronger focus on supporting staff and managers through skills and capability development. We intend to: • Conduct a Training Needs Analysis to identify baseline data so we can develop a learning and development calendar and target training programs to areas of greatest need. • Develop a suite of training programs to be delivered on a regular basis. New areas of focus will include: • Negotiation and Influencing Skills • Managing Performance • Catholic Social Teachings and Ethical Practice • Conflict Resolution and Performance Management • Dealing with Vicarious Trauma • Managing Teams • Business Writing and Partnering • Recruitment • Microsoft Office products • Develop a new Performance Management and Development System which includes regular support discussions and minimal paperwork.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Age Distrib u tio n o f Au stralian Staff
• Develop individualised learning and development plans for all staff and managers. • Establish an online Learning Management System to better support the learning and development needs of our staff throughout Australia and overseas. • Establish Matrix Management programs to support cross-functional teams and leverage existing expertise within Caritas Australia. • Continue to develop coaching and mentoring programs for staff and managers. • Develop a new capability framework to support job design, recruitment and learning and development initiatives. • Completely review all human resources procedures to ensure they serve their purpose and are succinct and inclusive.
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
<25
3
1
4
3
25-30
12
11
10
9
30-35
17
19
8
13
35-40
18
19
17
23
40-45
15
17
16
11
45-50
17
18
20
17
50-55
8
10
9
13
55-60
10
10
10
8
60-65
4
6
6
7
65+
3
1
1
2
107
112
101
106
Emp loyees as Ad vo cates
“I think all employees and volunteers who are involved with the agency are, in their own ways and roles, advocates for Caritas Australia and the people we work with and alongside. Working in communications, we are always mindful of messaging to ensure we convey the stories of those we work with in an authentic way.” Sally-Anne Hurley, Digital Communications Specialist
• Redesign position descriptions to reflect the capabilities and key accountabilities for individual roles.
We have 106 employees based in Australia and 71 based overseas.
“I believe in the work of Caritas Australia, and the approach to aid and development of empowering people to be architects of their own development. It is a privilege and a joy to be able to share the work of Caritas with the Australian community." Helen Deering, Volunteers Coordinator
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ASIA: PHILIPPINES
AND DIGNITY Caritas Australia has worked in the Philippines for many years and supports programs such as community empowerment, education and livelihood skills, and peacebuilding and reconciliation initiatives. One of our long-term programs assists squatter families who live and work near dumpsites to lead peaceful and dignified lives.
A clean up drive activity led by the Faithful Companions of Jesus increased the local people's awareness about the importance of a clean and green community. Photo: Sean Sprague
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CARITAS AUSTRALIA
The Filipino population – estimated at around 100 million people – lives across an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands. Extreme weather, earthquakes, deforestation and ongoing conflicts continue to hamper development across the nation. With almost 23 million people living below the National Poverty Line, many Filipino communities are vulnerable to extreme weather events such as typhoons and cyclones, which regularly cause widespread flooding and landslides across the country. Deforestation and agriculture amplify the effects of extreme weather and, along with industrial pollution, create challenges for water quality in rural, coastal and poorer communities. The country has also experienced a number of long-term insurgencies and internal conflicts, many of them based out of the island of Mindanao. Caritas Australia is committed to helping these vulnerable communities.
Fa i t h f ul Com pa nions of J esu s Our partner since 2004, the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) is a Roman Catholic community of religious sisters. Together our aim is to create communities that live with hope and self-confidence, in environments that promote life with dignity. A non-profit non-government organisation, the FCJ Learning and Development Centre assists thousands of squatter families living near the dumpsites in Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, Manila, Philippines. Bagong Silangan is adjacent to the Payatas Dumpsite which is the Philippines’ largest open rubbish tip. Taking up an area of 20 hectares, the site receives around 1,200 tonnes of garbage every day and thousands of families survive by living off the sale of recycled items. A desperately poor area, the FCJ Centre is a life-changer for many individuals and communities as it provides skills training that help people improve their lives and become self-reliant. Economic wellbeing and resilience form the foundations of the project that lead towards peace, harmony and long-term sustainability.
In 2 0 1 6 - 1 7 :
• 3,477 people, including 1,436 women and 1,661 children have accessed the FCJ program, improving their ability to generate sustainable incomes through their participation in, for example, the Small Business Support program. • A Savings and Loan Cooperative, which has 131 members and operates a small store, was established; members participate in livelihood training and receive a share of the profits. Economic wellbeing and resilience has increased, particularly for women.
“My life has changed as a result of the presence of the FCJ Centre. Our life as a family has been uplifted."
Gina’s Story Gina, 40, lives in Bagong Silangan. As a young person, Gina was subjected to violence. In 2004, she received care and help from FCJ and the Caritas Australia network. In particular, from the support workers at the Anti Violence against Women and Children Program, and their subsequent health program. Once Gina felt strong enough, she joined two important programs – the Income-Generating Program and the Small Business Support Program. There she learnt to make chocolate and ice candy which now provides her with a sustainable income for herself and her family. Whenever Gina faces personal difficulties she can access support through the FCJ network. She is very thankful for the moral and financial support, as well as the care and accompaniment that is provided by the FCJ Centre to the community. “My life has changed as a result of the presence of the FCJ Centre. Our life as a family has been uplifted," she said. Thanks to this support, Gina now lives a peaceful and productive life, and has grown in strength and self-confidence.
Gina learnt to make chocolate and ice candy which now provides her with a sustainable income for herself and her family. Photo: Faithful Companions of Jesus
Read more about our work in the Philippines at www.caritas.org.au/philippines
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OUR GOVERNANCE: NATIONAL COUNCIL CARITAS AUSTRALIA IS AN AGENCY OF THE AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE (ACBC) AND ALL ASPECTS OF ITS OPERATIONS ARE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ACBC POLICY AND MANDATE. The President of the ACBC is the Archbishop of Melbourne, Most Rev Denis J Hart, and the Vice President is Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge BA DSS. The ACBC’s Bishops Commission for Justice, Ecology and Development (BCJED) oversees and reports on the activities of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference in the areas of justice, ecology, international aid and development and peace, including Caritas Australia’s activities. The BCJED appoints from among their membership, the Chair of the National Council of Caritas Australia. The Chair of the BCJED and Caritas Australia is Bishop Greg O'Kelly SJ AM. The Caritas Australia Deputy Chair is Bishop Peter Stasiuk CSsR DD AM, the Eparch of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia and New Zealand.
C arit a s A u s t r a l ia’s Nati o n a l Co u n c il The National Council is responsible for ensuring the good governance and effective implementation of Caritas Australia’s mandate. The Council provides strategic direction, and timely and independent advice to the BCJED policies, finance and administration of the agency. The National Council comprises 10 lay members. It is responsible for the overall governance of the organisation and meets four times each year.
C o m m i t t e e s w i t hin Nati o n a l Co u n c il The National Council has three standing committees: the Audit and Risk Management Committee, the Remuneration Committee and the Nominations Committee. The National Council makes recommendations to the BCJED where appropriate.
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Audit an d Risk Ma na gemen t (ARM) Com m ittee
N o min atio n s Co mmi t t e e
Members: Michael Burnett, Clyde Cosentino
Over the year, the Nominations Committee provided regular advice to the National Council to assist in governance succession planning. The main responsibilities of the Committee are:
The ARM Committee focuses on the financial probity and enterprise risk management of Caritas Australia’s operations and reports regularly to the National Council on financial compliance, statutory reporting and risk management. The National Council ensures that the fiduciary responsibility of Caritas Australia is fulfilled and that all policies and practices are ethical and meet all legal requirements.
Members: Emeritus Prof. John Warhurst and John Bouffler
• To identify suitable Council nominees for initial consideration by the Council Chairman and to advise on appropriate communications with shortlisted nominees. • To ensure that the selection criteria and guidelines for these appointments remain current.
The ARM Committee met six times in the financial year. Achievements of this committee include:
• To provide guidance in meeting the induction needs of new Council members.
• Review and oversight of the organisation’s monthly and year-end financial reporting and performance.
• To inform Council about proposed selections prior to relevant Council meetings.
• Monitors all enterprise risks and compliance around reporting and governance. • Approval of the annual budget, capital projects and quarterly forecasts. • Provided a framework for resourcing Strategic Directions 2013-18. • Review and monitor the organisational risk register on a quarterly basis. • Ensures compliance with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
R em uneratio n Co mmittee Members: John Bouffler, Sean Parnell and Kate Fogarty
Left to right - Caritas Australia CEO Paul O'Callaghan, Semiti Qalowasa from Fiji, Bishop Richard Umbers and Fr John Anderson at the Ash Wednesday Mass, St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.
The Remuneration Committee’s purpose is twofold: • To set policy for the remuneration (pay and benefits) of the CEO and members of the Leadership Team. • To provide advice to the CEO, when requested, about the remuneration of other staff in order to attract, recognise and develop the capabilities of Caritas Australia’s staff and volunteers.
The National Council is responsible for ensuring the good governance and effective implementation of Caritas Australia’s mandate.
CARITAS AUSTRALIA
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE
BISHOPS COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE, ECOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT
NATIONAL COUNCIL
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CORPORATE SERVICES
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
PEOPLE & CULTURE
HEAD OF MISSION
ENGAGEMENT & SUSTAINABILITY
ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS
Geikie Gorge National Park, Western Australia. Photos: Nicole Clements/Caritas Australia
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NATIONAL COUNCIL THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL IS AN ADVISORY COUNCIL TO THE BISHOPS COMMISSION FOR JUSTICE, ECOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (BJCED). IT PROVIDES KEY GOVERNANCE FUNCTIONS FOR CARITAS AUSTRALIA, INCLUDING OVERSIGHT ON THE STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS AND FINANCIAL AND RISK MANAGEMENT. In 2016-17, our National Council team of 11 members increased to 12. In March this year we welcomed Sarah Gowty. CHAIRMAN Bishop Greg O’Kelly SJ AM Member since 2012 Meeting attendance: 3 of 4
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Bishop Peter Stasiuk CSsR DD AM Member since May 2015 Meeting attendance: 3 of 4
TAS: Michael Burnett Member since 2012 Member of Audit and Risk Committee Meeting attendance: 4 of 4
Bishop O’Kelly is the Auxiliary Bishop in Adelaide and Bishop of the Diocese of Port Pirie. He received an Order of Australia for his work in education, and is Chair of the BCJED.
Bishop Stasiuk is the Eparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. He received an Order of Australia for his service to religion and the community.
Michael is a Chartered Accountant and co-owner of Accru Hobart. Michael’s specialist technical skills include tax planning, business structures, financial management and auditing not-for-profit associations.
NSW: Louise Campbell-Price Member since 2009 Meeting attendance: 1 of 4
QLD: Clyde Cosentino Member since 2014 Member of the Audit and Risk Committee Meeting attendance: 4 of 4
WA: John Bouffler Member since May 2015 Member of the Nominations Committee Meeting attendance: 4 of 4
Clyde is a solicitor with extensive experience in refugee and immigration law. He worked in Cambodia as a refugee lawyer and administrator, and holds a Master of Laws and Bachelor of Theology.
John is the Executive Director of Community Employers WA. He was CEO of St Vincent de Paul WA and prior to that spent over 20 years in banking and finance.
NT: Sean Parnell OAM Member since October 2015 Meeting attendance: 2 of 4
VIC: Kate Fogarty Member since May 2016 Meeting attendance: 2 of 4
Sean has over 30 years’ experience in the police force and has a Masters in Theology. He is Chairman of the NT Diocesan Youth Council and a member of the NT Catholic Education Council.
Kate is the Principal of Assumption College in Kilmore, Victoria, a member of the Marist Association Council and a lecturer at La Trobe University Bendigo for the Graduate Certificate in Religious Education.
Louise works in Catholic school education. A member of tribal group Gumbainggar, Louise is the coordinator of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Newcastle, and Chair of the NSW Aboriginal and Islander Catholic Council.
ACT: Emeritus Prof. John Warhurst AO Member since May 2015 Member of the Nominations Committee Meeting attendance: 4 of 4 John is a commentator on public policy and election issues. He serves on the board of Marist Youth Care, and has served on the Catholic Social Services Australia board.
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CARITAS AUSTRALIA
LEADERSHIP TEAM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM PROVIDES DIRECTION TO THE AGENCY’S CORE WORK, ASSISTS WITH IMPLEMENTING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND INFORMS THE NATIONAL COUNCIL IN ITS DECISION MAKING FUNCTIONS. In January 2017, we said goodbye to Head of Human Resources, John Alexander and welcomed Steve McNab. VIC: Patrice Scales Member since May 2016 Meeting attendance: 4 of 4 Patrice has held senior management positions for 30 years. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is Chair of the Council of Catholic Social Services Victoria.
ACT: Sarah Gowty Member since March 2017 Meeting attendance: 1 of 2 Sarah is a development practitioner with experience in government and the NGO sector. She has worked in Australia and overseas managing development and humanitarian assistance programs across Asia, the Pacific, Middle East and Africa.
View detailed profiles of our National Council members and Leadership Team at www.caritas. org.au/org-structure
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Paul O’Callaghan National Council Member since 2013 Meeting attendance: 4 of 4 Paul O’Callaghan began as CEO in December 2013. His background includes leadership roles with Catholic Social Services Australia, the Australian Council for International Development, and National Disability Services.
Chief Finance and Operations Officer Rocky Naickar Rocky has over 15 years’ senior leadership experience leading corporate service functions in the corporate, public and not-for-profit sectors.
HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Jamieson B. Davies
HEAD OF MISSION Sr. Anne McGuire
Jamieson has over 20 years’ experience in the international development sector. Before joining Caritas Australia in 2009, Jamieson worked for Catholic Relief Services (Caritas USA) in Africa, Asia and the USA.
Anne is a member of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea. For over 25 years, Anne worked in Catholic Education and ministry with First Australians.
HEAD OF ENGAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY David Armstrong
Senior Manager People and Culture Steve McNab
David has substantial social justice, aid and development, fundraising and community engagement experience. Previous roles include Head of Fundraising at Australian Red Cross and Manager of Fundraising at Amnesty International Australia.
Steve has held roles in public and notfor-profit sectors, and participated in significant government committees. Most recently he was the General Manager of People and Culture for CatholicCare Sydney and Chief Executive Officer for St Patricks Institute of Education.
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EMERGENCIES: HAITI
Marie Lourdes Laurent is from CondĂŠ in Haiti and was one of over 2.1 million people affected when Hurricane Matthew hit the country on 4 October 2016. The Caritas network assisted Marie with emergency relief and shelter. Photo: Suzy McIntyre/Caritas Australia
ECONOMIC
In January 2010, the third deadliest earthquake in history devastated Haiti, killing over 300,000 people and leaving over one million homeless. Over the past seven years, Caritas Australia has supported the Haitian people to rebuild their country and improve living conditions.
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Home to approximately 9.7 million people, Haiti is one of the world’s poorest countries with 80% of the population living in poverty. Thanks to the generosity of Australians who donated to our Emergency Response Fund, our agency and partners have a long-term plan set in place. Together with the international Caritas network including US partner, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), our relief programs are contributing to the improvement of the health, wellbeing and living conditions of Haiti’s most disadvantaged communities.
S u p por t Yout h, Suppor t th e Fu tu re In partnership with CRS, the Kore Jèn, Kore Lavni (Support Youth, Support the Future) program, which started operating in the Haitian villages of Tesso and Solino in 2016, focuses on peacebuilding, resiliency and entrepreneurship for young people and their families. Poverty causes much hardship and grief, often resulting in broken and dysfunctional families. So, family-based violence prevention training is essential to not only making, but sustaining, lifestyle changes. Our aim is to encourage good communication and peaceful communities, strengthen family relationships, and build financial skills through three workshops: Strong Families, Sowers of Peace, and Savings and Internal Lending Committees (SILC).
Rony’s Story Rony David, 19, says he used to feel desperate but he now feels confident about the future. Together with two friends he runs a successful small business and hopes to own a restaurant and eventually go to university. A program participant, Rony belongs to a 27-member group which is made up of 12 females and 15 males. Motivated to start a small business, Rony and two friends from the group received a loan of 2850 gourdes ($57) which they invested in selling donuts. However, after one week of sales, they had almost lost everything and only had a combined 250 gourdes ($5) in their pockets. Still motivated, they reflected on what they could do with their money and came up with an idea to sell Kibby, a chicken snack similar to meatballs. According to Rony, Kibby would sell better in their community. This idea was successful and they were able to pay back their loan and put aside a small sum to reinvest. To reach a wider market, they even started marketing on Facebook. Rony described the group as a good way to socialise, save money and do something sustainable.
In 2 0 1 6 -1 7 : • 238 earthquake-affected youth, like Rony, were engaged in training and sessions on how to run successful business enterprises. They are now contributing to Haiti’s sustainability. • 80 young people have successfully started a small business (49 females and 31 males).
“I really like this activity and I see how my future could be secured. I plan to save a lot more money so I can pay for university in a few years.”
A sustainable small business is linked to wellbeing and economic resilience as it provides people with an income and enables them to enjoy greater social, cultural and economic inclusion.
“Thanks to our small business, I can help my mother with daily household expenses and give my younger brother pocket money,” he said. “I am saving money so that in five years I will be able to open my own restaurant. The group has showed us how, together, we can accomplish a lot of things. “The savings of all the members allow us to access loans. I really like this activity and I see how my future could be secured. I plan to save a lot more money so I can pay for university in a few years.” Read more about our work in Haiti at www.caritas.org.au/haiti The funds for this program came from the Emergency Response Fund, which Caritas Australia opened after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Rony, 19, (middle) is a member of the Support Youth, Support the Future program. His group is made up of 12 females and 15 males. Photo: Honchyse Joseph
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MISSION: EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED Dear Friends of Caritas,
Anne McGuire Head of Mission This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI. In this encyclical the Pope speaks extensively about the links between peace, development, progress and justice.
"Peace means far more than a precarious truce. Peace is the fruit of anxious daily care to see that everyone lives in justice as God intends." - Pope Paul VI
We see each day the troubling evidence of conflict. Whether it is on a scale as large as the Syrian civil war or as disturbing as the quieting of voices in public debate – we can sense both a longing for and yet an absence of peace. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 encyclical Populorum Progressio by Pope Paul VI. In this encyclical the Pope speaks extensively about the links between peace, development, progress and justice. At Caritas Australia, Integral Human Development (IHD) is the overarching approach for all our programs. These are designed to promote the development of the whole person, in every dimension of life, and we measure the efficacy of our programs through this lens. Please see page 12 for more in IHD. Pope Paul calls on the Church to reflect God’s love to others. He argues persuasively that we are all called to live and act with reverence for the innate dignity of all creation and the equitable sharing of the world’s resources. Pope Paul notes the following (#76): Peace means far more than a precarious truce. Peace is the fruit of anxious daily care to see that everyone lives in justice as God intends. So, what does God intend? The early Christian community understood that inclusiveness and hospitality were at the heart of a peaceful community [cf Acts 4:32]. They had seen this in the actions of Jesus, so it was the ‘norm’ in their community life. There, no one was to be unwanted, rejected or marginalised. The dignity of each person was affirmed by the way the Christian community reached out to them and accepted them. In 1972 for the ‘World Day of Peace’ Pope Paul VI wrote: “If you want peace, work for justice.” This is a peace that is not silent in the face of oppression and injustice. Peace is evident in the bubbling laughter of well-fed children, the chattering and babble of tongues free to speak, the thunderous joy of dancing feet and the songs of contented communities when fresh, clean water is drawn from wells built by willing hands. A lasting peace is the ‘sound’ of a just and fair world where we recognise as Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si 2015 (#91) that, “everything is connected” and where we stand amidst all of creation, sharing our common home. Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia.
Anne McGuire, Head of Mission
Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia.
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CARITAS AUSTRALIA
Drought in north-west Kenya is affecting many local people, including these wonderfully adorned Turkana villagers. The Caritas network will continue to assist with drought relief. Photo: Bill Corcoran and Thom Pierce/Caritas Internationalis
THE CARITAS FAMILY OUR WORK IS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS. YOU CAN HELP IN MANY WAYS. Make a Monthly Donation. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Call 1800 024 413 or donate securely at www.caritas.org.au/donate Organise or Attend an Event. Head to www.caritas.org.au/events for the upcoming events or www.caritas.org.au/ your-fundraising-event for some great ideas to create your own.
Volunteer. Call 1800 024 413, email jobs@caritas.org.au or find your local diocesan representative at www.caritas. org.au/contact-us Workplace Giving. One of the most cost effective and simple ways of making a donation. Head to www.caritas.org.au/ workplace-giving for more. Leave a Gift in your Will. If you are able, we encourage you to consider leaving a legacy that will live on. Call 1800 024 413 or visit www.caritas.org.au/bequests
C HA RI T Y S TAT U S
F EEDBA CK AND COMPL AINTS
Caritas Australia is endorsed by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits commission as a Deductible Gift Recipient. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
We welcome feedback about our organisation. To provide feedback, make a compliment or lodge a complaint, call 1800 024 413, write to Caritas Australia, GPO Box 9630 in your capital city or send an email to questions@caritas.org.au
FU N DI N G Caritas Australia generates income from various streams including the Australian Government, public donations, government grants and investments. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Australian Government through DFAT. See page 1 for Accountability and International Standards.
Complaints alleging breaches of the ACFID Code of Conduct can be made to the ACFID Code of Conduct Committee via www.acfid.asn.au/code-of-conduct/ complaints.
Keep up-to-date. Sign up to the Caritas eNewsletter at www.caritas.org.au/ subscribe and receive monthly updates, or read our quarterly publication, CaritasNews, at www.caritas.org.au/ caritasnews Social Media. Join in our conversations on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, read our media releases at www.caritas.org. au/media or comment on our blogs at www.caritas.org.au/blog Sign our Petitions. Stand up and have your voice heard, so the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poor can too at www.caritas.org.au/act
S O L I CI TO R S Makinson dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Apice Lawyers BA N K E R S Commonwealth Bank A U D I TO R S Moore Stephens Sydney
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The Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development Caritas Australia 24-32 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Riordan Street Alexandria NSW 2015 questions@caritas.org.au 1800 024 413 facebook.com/CaritasAU twitter.com/CaritasAust youtube.com/CaritasAustralia www.caritas.org.au